I'll Love You For Eternity
by LetterBeeNations
Summary: [Currently Under Construction. Re-doing all current chapters.] Basically, a Shadow Kissed alternate ending with Strigoi Rose. All I'm saying since I'm currently re-writing a few chapters. Chapters 1 - 6 currently done with their rewrites.
1. Chapter 1: Taken

_I'll love you for Eternity_

**Rose POV**

As the stake I held within my hand helped me finish off the last Strigoi, I realized that I was alone within the caves. From the corner of my eye, I saw Dimitri's leather duster fly around the corner and putting as much energy as I could into my stiff legs, I tried to follow him.

_Mental note; thank Dimitri for all those laps._

While hurrying through the twists and turns of the caves, I finally caught sight of the daylight up ahead. Already I could feel the relief of knowing that I would make it out, that Dimitri, my mother and my closest friends would make it out. As I drew closer to the mouth of the cave, I saw everyone else was running towards the wards, and Dimitri's brilliant smile. A very rare smile, one that told me everything would be okay, and that he loved me.

I could feel my lips form into a smile just before a wave of nausea hit me. And that was just before a Strigoi did.

A pair of seriously strong arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me against their chest. In a slightly desperate move, I made my heel kick his shin with as much energy as I could muster. It must have hit hard –or surprised him –because he dropped me yet recovered a moment later. His ghostly hands reached for my neck, earning him a swift knee to the stomach. With the wind knocked out of him for a scarce moment, I tried to send a round house kick only for my foot to be seized within his hands.

With one sharp tug, I found myself flat on my back, his body caging me, blonde hair creating a wall around my face.

A realization came to be that this could very well be my last moment alive as his head lowered to my neck. I braced myself to the bite, the feeling of the endorphins, yet none came. Only whispered words.

"The guardian of the last Dragomir. Aren't I lucky thing?" He chuckled, breath fanning over my skin causing a shiver to take over my body against my mind's will. "Wait until he hears about the bounty I'm about to give him."

With those somewhat confusing words, his teeth sunk within my flesh which made a brief scream escape from my lips followed by whimpers of the sweetness of the endorphins quickly flooded my body. Slowly I could feel eyes getting heavy, my arms become concrete.

With the little energy I had left, I turned my head to the entrance of the cave, seeing Dimitri's horror struck face. Even with the sadness overcoming him, he was still the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. Behind him I could only just make out my mother, tears streaming down her face as she watched me.

A wave of blackness flashed before my eyes before my vision became blurry.

_Well, this is it. No more Rosemarie Hathaway, _I thought to myself, giving a sad smile.

With my eyes now closing, my lips moved to mouth the final words I'll probably ever say again.

_I love you._

My world became black.

**Dimitri POV**

We were so close! So close to having happiness!

With those words circling around my head I knew that I couldn't allow this to happen to her, I spun on my heel, trying to desperately reach her –to save her. A hand with almost supernatural strength stopped me in my tracks, however.

"Belikov," a strained voice called. "You need to leave her, she has no hope anymore."

My head snapped to the person speaking, a growl about to leave my lips when I saw who spoke. Janine Hathaway, the mother of the girl that will always hold my heard, had just brokenly commanded me to leave her daughter to die. I couldn't believe my ears. Wasn't a mother supposed to try everything to save their child? When I took a closer look at her, though, steady streams of tears made their way down her cheeks and her eyes were already red and puffy. She looked heartbroken.

In my head a war battled, one mightier than the one just fought; whether to save my Roza and probably end up giving up my own life, or to obey an order given to me by someone of higher authority.

I never got to decide.

The blonde Strigoi lifted his head, a deadly smirk plastered upon his face, _her _blood staining his lips. His tongue swiftly licked at his teeth before ripping the fangs through his own wrist.

I watched in horror as the monster lowered his wrist to her lips, watching as her deeply unconscious body took greedy gulps of his black blood. His lips moved, the words not reaching my ears, before catching our expressions.

Janine was shaking furiously, sobs of heartbreak taking over her. I seethed in fury, in blood lust for his death. Yet, none of that bastards looks or actions would ever be as bad as when Rose lifted her hands –now steady and seeming getting stronger –to bring the Strigoi's wrist closer to her mouth.

Already the physical changes were starting to happen; her beautifully tan skin was now turning pale and flashes of fangs peeked from between her pink lips. She sat up a moment later, fingers curling tightly around his hand and causing his discomfort.

His lips moved once more, obvious happiness from the way his red eyes gleamed sadistically, before he was no longer kneeling in front of Rose. Instead his body was thrown against the closest cave wall, Rose slowly getting to her feet. When she was steady, her body launched at him, hands getting hold of the sides of his head, her lips pulled up to expose the protruding fang tips while speaking with anger. He smirked once more, replying just before a sickening _crack_ sounded.

A cruel smile was replacing the angelic smile Rose would normally have, a decapitated head now between her hands. Within a moment of a second, her body turned towards the sun, arm extended to throw the head into it. If this whole scene wasn't serious, I would have said that her arm could put American footballers to shame.

As it left her grip and came into the sun, the blonde hair turned to ash and the skin melting away. What was left caught on fire, burning until it joined the ash that use to be hair.

The body flew over our heads a second later, followed by a feral scream, the body catching fire just past us.

My eyes, however, never left her as she fell to her knees, shoulders shaking while her now white hands hid her face.

"Roza," was whispered from my lips while I took a step forward, hand extended slightly.

Even though the whisper had been as soft as the wind, her head lifted up, eyes flickering from the warm chocolate brown to a blood tainted red. Her body convulsed like she had been previously shocked with electricity, looked at both her mother and I. She got to her feet a moment later, turning her back on us while heading into the caves with her hands clenched into fists.

From there, I could not look. I knew I would most likely never see her again.

"We should head back," I whispered, trying to remove my emotions from wanting to take me over.

When I didn't hear her move, I leant down to help her up. We both made our way back to the wards, both of us flinching when Rose's screams of fury echoed from the cave to the area outside.

**Lissa POV**

A scream registered to my ears, one that sounded vaguely familiar. I hoped it wasn't Rose or, if it was, that it was due to someone popping in her shoulder –not because she had lost someone. Or worse.

I shook my head. No, that was no way to think. Rose was strong, stronger than anyone I had ever or will ever know.

I rose to my feet from having been kneeling by a wounded Dhampir while helping. Adrian caught my eye as he healed a minor wound. He was getting better at his magic.

"Lissa," he called out to me. "I think the last two Guardians came back, you should check them first." His skin looked too pale, you could easily tell he was tiring himself out.

_I'll have to tell Rose how caring he's been today. _After all, Adrian did have a lot of interest in Rose.

I hurried to the entrance of the infirmary, quickly scanning around for any sight of Rose, however I couldn't see her yet. I focused straight ahead, seeing Guardian Belikov helping Guardian Hathaway on a chair, her hands clutching at her upper arms and expression shocked.

"Guardian Hathaway, are you alright?"

I hurried right over, kneeling in front of her and checking her for injuries. When I paused, though, sobs came over her which shocked me to no end.

"I think she's in shock," Guardian Belikov whispered, causing me to look up at him.

His eyes had black bags under them, skin gone white, and the life in his eyes seemed to be fading. My mouth opened to ask them if the rescue was successful when a horrible thought came to mind.

"Where's Rose?" My voice was whispered. My question went unanswered. I rose to my feet, eyes wide as I rose my voice. "Where is Rose?"

Guardian Hathaway broke down crying, hands moving to cover her eyes, shoulders shaking. Guardian Belikov's head was turned to the side, eyes not daring to meet mine, however a single tear escaped from his eyes.

Once more I rose my voice, now screaming at them, probably gaining the whole places attention. "Where is she!?"

After a moment's hesitation, Guardian Belikov's eyes met mine, his voice sounded dead. "She was turned."

My body froze.

"H-How can you be sure?" My voice shook and I desperately wanted to believe that I had misheard.

"She was turned at the mouth of the cave, Princess. Decapitated a Strigoi with her bare hands." His large hand came down to rest on my shoulder. "I'm sorry for the loss of your friend, Princess Dragomir. I must take my leave, however," his hand removed from my shoulder before walking out of the doors of the infirmary.

I stood in shock, the sound of hysterical crying filling my ears. I sunk to my knees, hands falling to my side as tears took over me, much like the ones Guardian Hathaway cried.

My best friend, my future Guardian, and one of the best people I have and will ever meet, my sister; she was now one of the undead.

**Hey, if you are reading this, than hello! This is the new official first chapter. It was been redone after two years (holy shit) of being written. Hope you enjoy the future chapters!**


	2. Chapter 2: V?

_Last time on:_

_I'll Love You For Eternity_

'_My best friend, my future Guardian, and one of the best people I have and will ever meet, my sister; she was now one of the undead.'_

**Dimitri**

A week. It has been a whole seven days with not seeing my Roza.

There were no more sparkling brown eyes that were so full of life, no more stealing chances to touch her silky dark hair or feeling her warm exotically tanned skin. Her voice, a voice that could put any angel to shame, was no longer gracing my ears and her laugh -that could easily inspire symphonies –was no longer caressing my ears.

There was no more of Rosemarie Hathaway because she was gone. All that was left of her was memories –the ashes left after a blazing inferno.

Headmistress Kirova had sadly ordered for her things to be cleared out of the room she boarded in yet no one could even go near the door. The Princess had fiercely guarded it, acting like a caged animal that had lost its sanity. Despite her being Moroi and how innocent she looked, Vasilisa was just as strong as a Dhampir or to be precise; she was being just as strong as Rose was, no, is.

No matter how many times the nightmare of that day played over, I could never think of her as anything but Dhampir. Never as anything but Rose.

As the news ran around about Rose's… disappearance, the rumours of the schools most elite Moroi also began to run rampant. No matter what was said, no matter how many nasty things they said, I was not allowed to defend her.

"_I heard she was turned in front of her mother, her being forced to watch." _

It just so happened that today, the rumours were going around with more ferocity.

"_Really? I heard that Guardian Belikov was there with her, both of them sharing a kiss at the entrance before he pushed her to the Strigoi to save himself."_

I mentally scoffed at that. I would have jumped in her stead, pushed her away from being what she is.

"_That can't be true. I've known Rose for a while and even though she acts like a slit, she would never kiss a teacher or Guardian. No matter how yummy he may look."_

The biggest rumour, the one everyone seemed to favour, was that Rose was somehow in league with the Strigoi. Anyone who knew Rose, though, would know that she would never be in league with those monsters.

At this current moment, it just so happened that I was passing by the person who started the rumour; Jesse Zeklos.

"I've known for a while now. The way she always looked at people like she knew something was coming for them, that she would have the ultimate revenge," he said, his voice grandiose.

"No way! Why would Rose do that? After what happened to that Dhampir that was friends with her? Besides, she could have been the greatest Guardian in history, or so I've heard. My parents were even going to request her to be my Guardian." Camile said, her voice showing that she did not believe a single thing that Jesse was saying.

A couple of the other Moroi agreed with her, a few others saying that their parents were also considering requesting Rose.

"It's true!" Zeklos tried to convince. "Rose did it to get back at everyone that had ever done her wrong. It just backfired when the Guardian's found out. She was supposed to be sent to Tarasov prison right after, under treason against humanity." A smug look came across his face.

I wanted nothing more than to walk up to that little bastard and punch that look right off his face. Maybe rip his head while I was at it.

The whispered rumours of Rose came to a halt as the doors were forced open, Lissa walking in. Since an act pulled off a little while after hearing about Rose's disappearance, she controlled most of the student body with physical force. In the past week, she has been training herself with the Dhampir's fiercely. She knew how to pack a punch. Even gave Guardian Alto a couple of nasty bruises when she found him talking down on Rose.

The act she succeeded in performing? She set fire to half of the school.

She strode in with the confidence of a Queen, head held high and each step had purpose. The clothing she wore was all black; skin tight leather pants, thick combat boots and a corset of leather.

She had obviously heard the end of Jesse's words for she smirked while making her way towards him, leaning over the table just in front of him.

"Then, Zeklos, why did Rose attack the Strigoi? Why kill those whom she was helping?" There was a pause, each second grabbing hold of everyone's attentions if her corset did not.

My eyes scanned around, finding that most of the male population was drooling.

"The answer is simple, Zeklos," the name was spat with venom. "No matter what answer you come up with, or rumour you want to spread, it will always be wrong. Rose was turned against her will, witnesses saw, and I bet if she could hear you at this second she would tear apart this school, killing anyone who got in her way, until she found you," one of her hands shot out, tightly grabbing hold of his neck, tilting his head until his neck was bared.

Quickly she sunk her fangs into his neck, close to his vein. The whole commons gasped in horror, watching as she stayed like that for a moment, pulling back to continue talking.

"She would drain you dry and turn you herself. Then she will kill you, slowly, ripping you apart piece by piece, leaving you head attached to your body. Then you'd watch yourself burn to ash, for she would have set you on fire."

Lissa moved away from him, face scrunched up like she had smelt something horrid, making her way to Christian's side. His arm went around her shoulders, pulling her close, face lighting up with a smile.

I adverted my eyes, not being able to take them being happy without thinking of what could have happened between Rose and I. Excusing myself from my station, I left from the closest exit, hurrying to get to the last place I saw Rose truly happy.

In the woods was my little piece of sanity left, my Heaven in this living Hell. The cabin, our cabin.

I opened the door; her sweet intoxicating scent lingering around the wooden walls, especially on the bed. The door closed behind me. I kept the lights off while moving to the edge of the bed, running my hands over the still messy covers, remembering the way she looked that time.

When the moment's heat had died down, we lay together in bliss, holding each other close. Her hair was a halo on my chest, her voice a husky call and her touch a fire against my skin. She looked beautiful, radiating with love and absolute happiness.

It was the most exquisite night of my life and I can never have another one like it.

**Lissa**

It was easy to tell that Dimitri was hurting, if you knew what to look for that was. I knew how much he loved Rose, what it feels like to have that love removed from your life.

After getting caught for lighting the school on fire, Dimitri had confessed to me that he and Rose were in a… explicit relationship with one another. Was I angry that it took Rose having been killed to hear that she was in a relationship? Yes. Angry that I wasn't told sooner? Yes. Did I have anything against her keeping it a secret? Not so much. I understood why she did what she did, and it was hard to be truly angry at someone when they weren't around.

Another thing that changed with Rose leaving was myself. There was barely a drop left of the person I use to be, except for the clothing still kept in my room. I didn't want to part with that much, since most of those clothing Rose helped pick out for me.

However, in public now, I won't wear those gorgeous dresses or the high heels, the pastel and light colours were now going to be foreign. I had turned myself into someone Rose would appreciate; someone strong who got what they wanted, who wasn't afraid of anything and could stand up for themselves. After all, Rose and I made a promise that she would be my Guardian. If I couldn't keep that promise than I'd rather not have a Guardian at all. I had even gone so far as to acquire my own stake, which was always kept strapped to my calf.

None of it really mattered, though. I feel hollow now that she's gone and sometimes I swear I can still feel her presence, like the bond was still there but I marked that down as me missing her too much.

"V? Hey, V?" Eddie asked.

Lissa was a forgotten name since I changed myself. People called me _'V' _now, kind of like the character from _V for Vendetta._

"Something up, Eddie?"

"You okay? You seem to be spacing out a little."

I smiled, nodding my head as Christian pulled me even closer into his side. "Yeah. It was nothing I couldn't handle. What are you all doing tonight?"

I asked the group, quickly trying to change the subject. The group gathered around consisted of Christian, Eddie, Jill, Adrian and myself. I did try to invite Dimitri and Guardian Hathaway to join, but they said it would catch a lot of unwanted attention to have two Guardians hanging around a group of teenagers.

"I don't think there is anything anyone is doing," Jill said for the whole group, cheeks aflame from sitting beside Adrian.

"Ah. Sounds boring, but I guess things like that can't be helped."

The bell ending lunch sounded around the room, making us depart ways. The rest of the day I spent with Christian pulling pranks on the teachers and training with the Dhampir's in the gym. At the end of the day, I made it look like I was heading back to my room, yet when I got close enough to the door I shrank back into the shadows lingering in the night. Dawn was approaching but there was enough time to be covered by the veil of darkness.

Making sure no one could see me, I hurried to the forest only to stop just inside the wards. In a brief moment of panic, I took a step back only for my resolve to come back to me.

_Be the girl Rose would respect. Do it, V._

I took a deep breath, talking my confident steps out from the wards and down to the caves. Which cave, you may be wondering, well it was the cave in which Rose was turned. Even though I hadn't been around the cave area, I felt drawn to one cave in particular. When I reach its mouth, I stopped, feeling a bit safer with the soft sun rays beating against my back.

I took a deep breath, calming myself before talking to the walls, knowing I wouldn't get an answer. Or maybe I wasn't hoping for one when I said, "Rose? Are you there?"

**Thank you to everyone who is reading, I hope you are enjoying what's happening so far and that you are excited for coming chapter.**

**Now, I have a question for you readers:**

**IF Rose returns to St. Vlad's then what do you think will be the first reaction and words to her?**

**Now you can answer out of the following:**

**Alberta**

**Dimitri**

**V/Lissa**

**Adrian**

**Eddie**

**Christian**

**Jesse (I really want to know what you think how we will react)**

**So please, review or PM your answers or (if you don't want to answer) maybe you would like to just review and give your thoughts about the second chapter. **


	3. Chapter 3: Rose's Back

_Last time on:_

_I'll Love You For Eternity_

_"Rose? Are you there?"_

**Rose **

The day following my _awakening _was like a strange dream. My current senses were sharper; my vision was clearer, better, my sense of smell so sharp I could smell Lissa on occasion, touch so strong that I could feel the vibrations from the wings of butterflies. My hearing range improved so much that I could actually hear a pin drop in a crowded room and my taste was so strong that even water had a fine taste to it.

However, when I tried to remember faces, places from my past it was like looking through a dirty window. I knew what was happening, could see the shapes and outlines, yet it was hard to make out features.

I was kept in a compound, full of other Strigoi from different stages in their years of being a monster. I had to hide things about myself, however, life the fact that my thirst for blood was different.

I know what you're all thinking; _Drinking blood? Just stake yourself_ _right now. _However, I don't crave the blood that you're thinking of. My thirst for blood is not Moroi, Dhampir or even human. I thirsted for the blood of those who did me wrong; Strigoi. Their blood was like an aphrodisiac to me, a siren whose call was irresistible, but if any of them found out that I was not the typical Strigoi I would surely be really dead. Another thing that made me different from other Strigoi was the fact that I could change my appearance from Dhampir to Strigoi, along with the fact that I had somehow retained the bond with Lissa.

Speaking of Lissa, I should actually check in on her.

_I/Lissa snuggled into Christian's side yet payed no attention to the conversation going on around her. Not even when Eddie started calling out her name time and time again until she finally came to her senses._

_"V? Hey, V?" he had said, causing her head to flick over in his direction._

_"Something up, Eddie?"_

_"You okay? You seem to be spacing out a little."_

_Her lips stretched into a half genuine smile. "Yeah. It was nothing I couldn't handle. What are you all doing tonight?"_

_While in her mind, I took the time to look around. The cafeteria looked exactly the same, nothing had seemed to change in my absence. Christian was currently holding Lissa close, eyes shining with happiness yet a dark hue of sadness was hidden beneath. Eddie, even though you could see him trying hard to be his old cheerful self, had an ashen face. You could see that losing two of his best friends had taken its toll. Adrian had a cigarette between his lips –no surprise –but according to Lissa it was his ninth since breakfast this morning. Someone I didn't expect to see was little Jill. She seemed so shy and flustered while sitting with the others. _

_I didn't see a sign of Dimitri around, maybe he was just eating lunch like the others._

_"I don't think there is anything anyone is doing." Jill's soft voice came from the side of Adrian._

_"Ah. Sounds boring, but I guess things like that can't be helped."_

With little to now effort I pulled out of Lissa's head. One of the two things I enjoyed about this new change within myself; I was mentally along with physically stronger. The second thing I enjoyed? I had no bodily odour.

Deciding there was nothing better to do, I got up from the bed I was lying upon, opening the heavily bolted door, calling out to the patrons that I was going out hunting and wouldn't be back until later. No one came to stop me. I was more or less allowed to do whatever I wanted as long as I came back during the light of day.

For a brief moment I thought about heading over to St. Vlad's to see if there were any Strigoi lurking around or if any of the wards were in need of any repair. I thought against it, however and instead decided to head to a close place.

A little club that was frequently habited by Strigoi, _Firefly's Night _was the most amazing club I've ever been in which isn't really anything you could go by since it's the only club I've been in. But, none-the-less, it was a pretty cool place.

As I neared the entrance, I spotted a new friend of mine.

"Stevey!" I called, bounding over to him, wrapping my arms around his torso, giving him a too-tight-for-comfort hug.

He just chuckled, however, wrapping his arms around my waist, pulling me in closer. He gave his own squeeze, the line behind us groaning with impatience.

"Nice to see you again, Rosie. What are you doing here, though? You came in not that long ago. Didn't get your fill of those DB's?"

I shook my head, smiling. Out of everyone I had met since being turned (which happened to be quite a few people) Stevey was the only one who knew of my secret. Why I trusted him? Because he's a Dhampir and there was just something about him that screamed _trustworthy._

"A little bored, a lot hungry," I said with a shrug of my shoulders, earning me another chuckle.

"Alright then. Have fun on your little _hunt, _Rosie. There's about six in the corner," he gave me a knowing look, mouthing the words _be safe._

I nodded as he let me in, moving from the entrance to the inside.

To say this place was huge would be a little bit of an understatement. The dance floor –currently overflowing with probably intoxicated dancers –filled up most of the floor space, the bar located just inside the door and off the side of the dance space. Around about fourteen booths were scattered around the outskirts of the room, the farthest corner being the largest booth. Self-titled as the _Shadow Corner,_ it was were all the Strigoi took their 'dates' so they could neck them, promising the partners a night of fantasy. How cliché.

However, tonight I needed to act like one of those girls. I was lucky that none of the six Strigoi were from the compound I currently resided in, or else my cover was blown.

To try and gain their attention, I added an extra swing to my hips, flipping my hair over my shoulders, made my chest look bigger. I'm pretty sure their attention became hooked, if my blood did not.

To be honest, and to make sure everything is clear, my blood seemed to be intoxicating to Strigoi but what they didn't know is that the blood somehow can kill them. Strange, right? Don't forget that I'm not anywhere close to normal.

The second time I walked past, I heard the group talking in whispers. My ears perked up at the sound, trying to hone in on the conversation but the music was just too loud to make out individual words, instead I felt a shoulder placed on my hands, causing me to turn around to face three of the group that were originally gathered at the table.

"Hello there, darling," the one standing in the middle said, his hand gently clutching my shoulder.

As per stereotype, he was taller than I, auburn hair left in a real messy state with golden hazel eyes that were probably not natural because he wore contacts to help cover up the red ring. His body was large, packed with muscle, which led me to believe that before being turned he was a Dhampir. I had to admit, he was pretty good looking despite being a monster.

"Hey, what can I do for y'all on this evenin'?" While speaking, I added a little southern accent to my words, trying to confuse them. I don't think I needed it, since they were probably picturing my ultimate death.

"We were wondering if you'd like to accompany us. Gregory noticed you walking by and we couldn't let a cute little dame like you walk away," the one from the left of the golden eyed one spoke, a smile obscuring his fangs, his metallic blue eyes shining in obvious blood lust.

His hair, a nice chocolate brown that reminded me of Dimitri, was messy as well. Was that the new fashion these days? If so, I'm going to blame Adrian for that.

The one on the right, a lanky yet tall guy, smirked in a practiced motion. Eyes were a green that were somewhat familiar to me, hair a beautiful strawberry blonde. Surely a Moroi before being turned.

With a flutter of my eyes, I replied. "Sure. I'd luv to. However, are y'all all gonna share me," I gestured to the other three at the tables still, giving a little wave and wink. "Or are you three the only ones?"

The all looked at each other, shrugging before green eyes answered for the other two.

"You think you could handle all of us? I mean, there would be six of us."

I smiled flirtatiously. "Handle all of ya? I could kick all ya little asses before y'all realized what was happening."

Just as I thought, they laughed before calling over the other three who came over in a hurry. To be completely honest, I was laughing on the inside, however it was more due to their ignorance.

_Such arrogant bastards. Idiots down to their bones, but aren't those the type of guys that I hunt for? The one's too up in their superiority to known a true predator?_

The all started to heard me into a corner, probably going for a swift thing. However, its not what I wanted. As my back pressed up against a wall, my arms went around the golden eyed ones neck, feeling his mouth make fast work on my neck, probably to prepare it for when his fangs were going to go in.

Another's hands were slowly roaming up my legs, obviously trying to give me a fix at something. This was not going the way I wanted it to.

"How 'bout all six of us go somewhere a bit more… private? I'll be able to serve y'all properly," my tongue moved across my lips, eyes hopefully becoming sultry.

The six of them shared a look, obviously thinking through telepathic means. They possibly came to the same conclusion since they all nodded in agreement, turning to me with hungry smiles and gleaming eyes, the golden eyed one grabbing my hand and leading me out the back exit and away from the club goers. From the corner of my eye, just before the door closed, I caught a flash of Stevey heading towards us with arms crossed. I quickly shook my head to tell him not to follow. I'm pretty sure he understood when he turned in the opposite direction.

The six Strigoi led me towards a van that suited the stereotype for paedophilic men, being a dirty shade of white and probably not the safest thing to ever ride in. Anything for a big meal, however.

When everyone was seated and it was starting down the road, I took assessment of everything around us to try and help make a master plan. I know what you're thinking; Rose is making a plan, since when did hell freeze over? When you're trying to lay low you get good at things that were not deemed as important as before.

There were three rows of seats; two right at the front, another two behind them and then the two flanking my sides. The last two would be the easiest to get through first. So, I slid my arms around the one to the left, gently pulling his head down to my height, lips moving against his neck. One of his hands moved against my sides, cold fingers gently moving across my hip just before my fangs pierced into his neck, making him gasp and moan before his head slumped backwards.

The guy on my other side saw this –or maybe he was always looking –and you could see he was confused and probably freaking out a little. Quicker than the Strigoi was, my fangs also sank into him.

One by one, they all fell. Well, all of them except the golden eyed one –our driver.

I crawled up behind him, making myself as silent as possible, eyes watching the road ahead. I knew that it would be barren of any other drivers, at this time of night more so than before, and that we wouldn't be a hazard to any other person on the road.

I licked my lips, making it sound noisy, to gain his attention and not startle him, as my arms moved around his neck, one hand sliding over his jugular. Golden eyes body stiffened, hands clenching at the wheel while trying to keep driving straight.

"Just keep driving, or else," my voice was whispered by his ear, dropping the fake accent.

We were both silent for a moment as the van continued forward, my arms having not moved from their position before he hissed out a response.

"Who are you?"

A smirk came across my face, leaning closer to his ear. "Rosemarie Hathaway, at your unholy service."

I didn't give him a chance to respond when I sunk my sharp teeth into his neck. However, he tried to fight me off, left shoulder moving up to try and knock me off. I could feel his blood seeping around my mouth and neck, his struggle causing larger gashes to form on his neck. However, he soon fell stiff against the seat, the endorphins in my system knocking him out.

The car slowly came to a stop, his body unmoving, my breathing at a standstill.

Then the sweet, intoxicating scent caught my nose, a shiver going down my spine. I could feel it gliding down my skin, coating my own neck in the crimson liquid, and with little thought I moved my hands to cover them in the fresh blood, holding them up to my face a second later.

The gore coated each digit, the colour swirling, and the scent a siren call that I knew I could never again resist. My fingers moved on their own accord, tongue flicking out to lick the blood from my skin. A moan left my lips, eyes almost rolling into the back of my head at the taste; kind of like chocolate coated candied cherries.

It took me less than a moment to lick and suck each finger until clean, having been hungry before coming to the club. But it took a little more than that for my head to clear from its lustful haze, and when it did a few minutes had passed by. I shook out my head, removing the now knocked out Strigoi into the back recklessly, taking over the driving seat.

From the road we were currently on, it took no time to get to the back way of the school –towards the caves in which I had been living for two days. I had to make sure I wouldn't be spotted by the Guardian's patrolling, nor by anyone that would recognise me as Rose Hathaway, so taking the back road (a little dirt road that was winded around to the first of the caves) was preferable and optional.

It was as close to home as I'll ever get to from now on.

_At least I can keep watch over everyone and make sure no other forms of harm can came across them._

Because that was so much better than being able to actually protect them by their sides. Made me feel so much better about the cruelness of fate.

When the van was parked, I unloaded each of the unconscious Strigoi, taking them down into an ending cavern that acted as my bedroom since moving here. One wall had a row of eight manacles –made of the strongest metal one could find –in which I placed all six of the Strigoi, hanging them up like a prize trophy.

When they were all hung up, I sat on the mattress that I had placed in here since moving in. My legs crossed, hands resting on my knees as I thought about everything.

I had just taken out six Strigoi, with barely any struggle, and had not even broken out a single drop of sweat. You can obviously tell that something was different with me but whether it was for the best (and really, it wasn't) or worst… I guess I'd just have to figure that out myself. I was just glad that I didn't want to kill anything with a working pulse.

My attention was taken away from my inner ramblings and towards the sounds of footsteps coming close to the cave's entrance. For some odd reason, the footsteps sounded similar; soft steps yet heavy with purpose.

"Rose? Are you there?"

I froze. It was _her _voice and it had felt like years since I had heard her voice. Each word gentle and nostalgic. So much so that I couldn't resist calling out her name.

"Lissa," the word was soft, the same as the way she said it.

"R-Rose?" Her words were hesitant. I had forgotten about Moroi heightened hearing.

I kept silent, hoping that she would just think she imagined it, wishing she would just walk away. Unfortunately, her steps hurried through the cave, searching through each room, I could tell.

"No! Lissa, you can't come in here. Go back." I jumped to my feet, turning to the entrance of the cavern, to find her standing there.

Her body was frozen in shock, eyes widened to large discs, hands by her sides and mouth open. There were possibly two things that set her into this state of shock; either it was because I was here, looking like I did before being turned, or the six guys chained to a wall. To be honest, I was guessing it was the later.

"R-Rose?" She backed away from me by a couple of steps, and I allowed her.

"Lissa, please let me explain," I held my hands out in a 'I surrender' pose, waiting for her answer.

After a few short moments that seemed to last a lifetime, she finally nodded, body recovering from the initial shock. She stood there, watching me as I paced anxiously.

"I was 'turned'," the word sounded like acid on my tongue, "however something went wrong, I have no real idea what happened to not make the whole thing happen. So, I'm not a 'real' Strigoi and I don't even thirst for blood of the living, and we still have the bond."

"What about those men? The ones right over there?" She tilted her head to the wall.

I was just about to answer when one of the men on the wall started to stir, groaning while his head turned. I let out a sigh, moving to his side, biting into any available flesh I could find to try and bring him back to the world of the unconscious.

"It's not what you're thinking, please listen to me," I was little late with my reply.

She had torn down the cave, leaving me in shock, quickly heading back to the entrance and was about halfway there before I ran after her, stopping only when seeing the sun against the ground. I froze in my spot, watching as she continued to run, deciding whether or not I should step out into the sunlight since I had no idea what would happen if I did. I hadn't tested that out yet.

"Go the fuck away, Rose, now. You shouldn't be around here," she screamed towards me, running past the wards.

All I could do was watch her, running away from me. I stayed to make sure she made it safe, not turning my back to her until she was out of site, hidden behind the walls and wards of the school.

**Lissa**

My breathing had come in faster as I kept on hurrying to Alberta's office, hoping to God that she would be in there. Luckily enough, I ran into her along the way.

"Princess Dragomir?" She said, voice laced with motherly concern, a hand being placed upon my shoulder. "What's the matter?"

I didn't really think, just pulled her in for a hug, tears streaming down my cheeks. I had just seen my best friend, my sister, as the monster she was forced to become. Alberta, although she was probably very confused, put her arms around me to comfort me in an embrace. Her hands smoothed over my back, calming me down enough to speak.

"Care to tell me what is wrong, Princess?"

For a moment I looked at her aura; green for protection, blue for misery. I had a feeling that Alberta was suffering from Rose's loss, as well.

"C-Can you call a Guardian m-meeting? Preferably very soon."

She nodded at my request, walking me towards the Guardian lounge, sitting me down on one of the large sofa's while fishing out her phone and sending –what I though was –mass text messages to everyone she could find.

"Those who can, will come. Don't you worry, Princess, whatever it is, you can be sure you'll be safe."

I looked at my hands, fidgeting with the fingers. "If they can," I mumbled under my breath, too low for her to hear.

Soon enough, available Guardian's flooded the inside of the lounge, all their eyes turning towards Alberta and myself, no one making a sound until the door closed and stayed that way for a few moments.

"Alberta, what is this about?" Guardian Alto called from one side of the room.

My eyes gave him a, hopefully, fierce glare while trying to gather my frantic thoughts. I sucked in a breath, looking around and getting a nod of encouragement from Alberta.

"It's about… Rose."


	4. Chapter 4: Sticking Up

Last time on:

_I'll Love You For Eternity_

'"_It's about... Rose."'_

**Lissa**

For a moment, the room was silent. I shouldn't have said anything, but they had to know. As much as it pained me to admit, she could become a threat to the school.

My eyes searched around the room, taking in each reaction from the various people attending: some scowled, obviously not believing me or thought it to be some cruel joke; others had no reaction and instead chose to hide behind their guardian masks.

Dimitri, however, grabbed my attention. His eyes were closed, pain visibly etched on his face, body slumped slightly against the wall he was leaning on. I had a feeling he knew what the guardians would most likely have to do in order to protect everyone.

"Princess," Alberta's words brought me away from Dimitri, making me focus on her and the situation at hand. "Are you sure that it was Rose, not just some other Strigoi that could have stuck around?"

I noticed Dimitri flinch, eyes now open and focused on me, awaiting my answer.

I nodded. "Yes, Guardian Petrov. I wouldn't mix up my best friend for someone else. She had six men, hanging from the wall, they looked to be dead. And, I don't care what you, or anyone, have to say about my safety. I went in there, just to see… I had to be sure, had to make sure, that she wasn't there. I called out her name, and one can only imagine how surprised I was when she answered back, so I raced in without any thought. To be fair, she did try to warn me not to come in, but I didn't care, I just wanted to see her again."

I took a deep breath, trying to keep the tears out of my eyes and the shake from my voice. "After I went down, I saw the men hanging, I got terrified. She asked me to listen, she really did, and even explained a few things before one of the me stirred. She bit into his neck, right in front of me, and I ran straight back. That's all I know, I swear."

"Princess, that was highly inappropriate of you. Running out of the safety of the wards, going to a Strigoi filled area, it's highly irresponsible and not like your original self. Not to mention how easily it would have been to finish off your line. Possibly by Rosemarie, herself-"

"Shut up," was my reply, hands clenched tightly at my sides, eyes slitted slightly. "I knew the consequences and I risked them. Can we focus on the real issue here?"

"And what would that be, Princess Dragomir?" A guardian, whose name I did not know, called from in the room, a patronizing smirk on their face.

"About what we're going to do about… Rose," a strong voice, seeming to be fragile in that moment, commented, eyes moving to the speaker's direction. Once more, his eyes were shut, two fingers pinching the bridge of his nose, the other arm was wrapped around his middle and shoulders were hunched just a tad. Dimitri's posture wasn't centred, instead leaning forward like his head weighed too much for his body to cope with, all the muscles he had tensed.

Silence followed, obviously waiting for the guardian to gain his composure. It seemed to take a while before he spoke once more. "The only course of action would be to k-kill her," he stumbled slightly.

I had my suspicions that Dimitri wouldn't kill her, however.

"Very well, Belikov," Alberta said with a nod of her head. "You'll be leading the mission against her. Try to trap her before killing her, though, we'll need to find out if she knows anything that may be of use to us. Free the six men the Princess said she saw. That is all, prepare yourselves, dismissed."

Majority of the attendants left the room, Dimitri being one of the first. I had to race after him, the sun having already risen a few hours ago and was resting high in the day sky. For a brief moment, I prided myself on the fact that I seemed to be able to stand the sunlight a little more since Rose's departure, that may have been due to me trying to better my immune system by spending more time outside during the daylight hours. I shook my head, though, bringing myself back to what my task was: finding Dimitri and talking to him before he set off on this crazy plan that could possibly get him killed.

I caught up to him just before he entered the staff building, grabbing his arm and pulling him to a stop. Well, it didn't seem hard enough to make him stop, but he did anyway.

"What do you mean 'kill her'?" I hissed, teeth grinding slightly.

His face was stoic, as perusal. "Did you really think, Vasilisa, that I would kill her? There would be no way I possibly could, I'd most likely get myself killed. What I really want to do is to try and convince her to run away from here, find someplace safe. Maybe even get the closure I need so that I would be able to move on," he cast his eyes downward, allowing me to see the glimmer of unshed tears threatening to fall.

"I… I'm sorry, Dimitri. I should have believed in you, that you wouldn't kill her. I can only imagine what it would be like for you… I lost my best friend, but you lost the girl you loved. However, would you be able to handle seeing her once more? What if she went on a killing spree? If you go, there'll be a possibility that your stake would be sliding its way into her heart…" my voice trailed off, eyes focusing on one lone tear that slowly fell down his cheeks.

"No," he said with a shake of his head. "I couldn't. I don't even want to dare think about what she could be doing, as the thing I swore to protect her from ever becoming. It's getting late, Vasilisa. You need your sleep, tomorrow will be a heavy day for all of us."

I watched as he turned around, leaving me a slightly bow, heading into the staff building. I sighed, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath before following his advice by heading into my own room for some much needed sleep.

**Dimitri**

She could still be out there. It ran through my head, yet I didn't want to believe it, at least not what the Princess had said. The evidence that was presented seemed to contradict a lot of facts about Strigoi, such as the fact that they were cold and uncaring monsters.

_Is she the same? Or is she a monster? _

From what I've been told, from what I saw, the only logical answer would be that she has become this monster. The same monsters I swore to protect others from.

With a wistful sigh, I lay down on the bed provided to me by the school, the very faintest scent of her still clinging to the pillow. It was childish to believe in those sort of fairy tales, that she could still be the same girl I loved, before the battle and before the caves, but as I looked at the picture of her –of us –I couldn't help it. It was the only picture I had of her, one taken not so long ago as a reward for finally beating me during a lap race. Pushed together, cheeks squishing against the others, large grins painted on our faces.

_We both panted, trying to get as much air into our lungs as we could at one single time. When she had gained enough breath, she turned to me with a smirk, punching her fists in the air and letting out a loud celebratory sound. _

"_Finally! I just kicked your arse, Comrade!"_

"_That you did, Roza," a faint smile was on my lips, a chuckle escaping._

"_You know what that means, right?" She didn't wait for my answer, jumping in to answer herself. "I get a reward."_

_My mind, as dirty as it seemed to be lately, went straight to the thing I thought she would want. Multiple things, actually. Ranging from kisses to acts that I should not be thinking about doing with her._

"_We can't, Rose. You know that."_

_She laughed. Actually laughed at me._

"_No, Dimitri. Not that. I know the rules, but it doesn't mean I can't get a reward." She moved towards her bag that she had brought today, only just noticing she had a camera laying on top. "I want a picture. Of us, together. Smiling and laughing, not hiding behind any masks."_

"_You planned to beat me today, didn't you?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. She pouted, but nodded. _

"_A little. I knew I had to. I've been bringing the camera for a few lessons for a little while, now. But, enough stalling, get your Siberian butt over here and get in a picture with me."_

_My eyes rolled, but I smiled, stepping up to her and cupping her chin, tilting her face upwards slightly. "Fine. But only one picture." _

_In the back of my mind, I knew I shouldn't be giving our affections this much of a leeway. I knew that I shouldn't let my control slip, but it was so very hard to keep in control when around her. Our eyes met and I gave a full smile, one that I would normally reserve for my family. She slipped out of my grasp, moving to stand up on the first step so that she could be seen, pressing our cheeks together. We both started to laugh as she pressed the button, capturing the image. Rose looked down at the image as it flashed upon the screen, grinning._

"_That one's a keeper," it was a whisper, eyes sparkling like stars. "And, of course, I'll make sure to give you a copy, Comrade. One must always remember the day that I, Rosemarie Hathaway, bet mentor, Dimitri Belikov, in a race of laps."_

_We both laughed once more, my arms going around her waist in a moment of lost control. _

"_Why would I ever dare to forget the day that the student surpasses the teacher?"_

_She groaned, playfully pushing me away._

"_Another Zen life lesson, Dimitri?"_

Slowly I came back from the memory, feeling something warm and wet fall on my clenched hands. I denied that it could be tears since I told myself I wouldn't share any more.

It became so hard, sometimes. The grief of not being able to see her, to hear her contagious laugh, her witty humour, her courage and persistence. She knew me better than anyone, even more than my own family I daresay.

The resolution came to me in that moment, eyes widening slightly before closing them, a small, sad smile on my face.

There's an old saying, one I use to resent when younger; if you can't beat them, join them. That's what I'll do then. I wouldn't beat her, I would hesitate and she'd kill me. So, I'll join her, willingly ask her to turn me. Right now, I didn't care that it would mean losing my soul, my morality, if it meant I would always be able to have my heart with me.

**This chapter was so fun to rewrite, I had such a blast and I still writing that photograph scene. Here's a question for you all:**

**Would Dimitri be the same (when he was turned in Blood Promise and Spirit Bound) if Rose turns him, or will there be a side effect keeping his soul with him?**

**Can't wait for your answers. From here on out, there'll be a **_**favourite chapter review. **_

**This week's is Favourite Review is ****Amberrosalie ****for her fantastic review on page two. **


	5. Chapter 5: Speak Badly Of Me, Not Them

On the last episode of:

_I'll Love you For Eternity_

'_Right now, I didn't care that it would mean losing my soul, my morality, if it meant I would always be able to have my heart with me.'_

**Dimitri**

The sun was falling behind the tree's, casting the school in a dark twilight. It was time for our little hunting party to leave. The party included myself, Yuri, Chelsea, Janine, Stan, Alberta and Vasilisa. (Who had somehow managed to 'convince' us that she should go.)

Vasilisa led us down the exact path she used, her footprints still in the dirt, moving through the twists and turns that led to the entrance. It was still decorated, the flowers placed around starting to wilt. The inside was dark, no lighting being able to shine through, everyone walked right in except for Janine and I. We just stood there, by the entrance, looking at our feet where the blood had been spilt a week before, turned into a rusted brown instead of staying crimson. Janine let out a shaky breath, her hands clenched too tightly that her knuckles were turning white. I placed my hand on her shoulder, hoping she would find the gesture a little comforting.

"Belikov, Hathaway. Are you two going to join us any time soon?" Yuri called out, voice echoing softly in the night.

"Give us a second, Yuri," I turned to face Janine. "We have to, you know that." She nodded in agreement, heading straight in without another word.

It took me a second more before following her, finding that the whole party was standing just inside, waiting for me to lead. I did so, eyes always scanning in case she were to come out and attack. Each new twist, each new turn, was leading us further down which, in the end, would only lead us closer to Roza and what would await us.

However, all the mental planning could never have prepared me for seeing the end of the cavern.

There was a glow of soft light, a yellowish tinge to the walls that the six men were currently dangling from. In the middle of the room was a bed, a finger hunched over, back facing us. I knew those features, that posture, the way their hair hung down in very slight curls.

"Roza." Somehow, even though it was said in a whisper, she turned her head to face us all.

It really shouldn't have surprised me that she had heard me, but in my mind she was still the Dhampir I fell in love with.

"Dimitri," my name on her lips sent a shiver through me, the corners of her mouth tilted up slightly before her head snapped to the side to look at one of the men hanging on the wall.

He groaned, head rolling, eyes opening to allow us to have a clear look. Red ringed eyes, deathly long fangs, pale skin. All were the identifying features of a Strigoi. Rose got up from her seat on the bed, walking up to him. The man didn't even seem to notice us, more focused on struggling when he saw her walk up to him, hissing out at her. But he said nothing as she leaned in, bitting his neck.

My eyebrows furrowed, and looking around I saw everyone else with the same puzzled look on their faces.

After a little while, his struggles ceased, body becoming a dead weight within the chains. Rose wiped the back of her forearm against her mouth, a sad smile on her face.

"Hey," she said into the somewhat awkward silence. "Lissa told you I was here, right? Well, it's not like I could become a Dhampir again, right?" With a humourless laugh, she spread her arms out, waiting. "Go ahead then. It's your duty to stake a Strigoi."

Slowly everyone's eyes turned to me. _Why did I have to take charge? Because I was once her mentor and everyone betted that I could beat her in a fight? But Alberta and Janine would be more capable of dealing with this situation. _As soon as I thought that, though, I realised why they all chose me to lead. Because they couldn't hurt her, they saw her as a sister or a daughter, someone they have known their whole life. For them, I was nothing but a friend. _That _was why.

What I did was probably a shock, but I was glad Alberta was the one who acted after my capture.

Her wrists were behind her back, tied with flexi-cuffs that I knew she hated. However, she didn't struggle against the hold, which was only to be taken as a good sign.

"I am so very sorry, Roza," I whispered near her ear, the scent I knew to be hers teasing my senses.

As I stated earlier, Alberta was quick to react.

"Take her outside," voice terse yet weighted with emotion. She turned her head, as if disgusted by Rose's state but it was an act, possibly.

Following the order, I started to lead her to the opening before she stopped in the middle of the tunnel.

"If you ever liked me, ever thought of me in a positive light, bring the Strigoi with us before they wake up. Please, it is only a warning." Right after finishing, she hung her head and said nothing more.

With shared looks, we all wondered about what she had said, then Janine nodded, motioning for the left over guardians to remove the Strigoi to bring them with us. From there on out, the trek back to the academy was a silent one, not one word was dared said. When close enough, someone radioed in to tell that the wards would have to be put down in order for us to proceed. They fought us, telling of how dangerous it would be to bring in Strigoi, but after a quick command from Alberta, they dared not to fight any more. We could have picked a better time for us to enter though, since it was lunch break for the school.

"Take her into the interrogation room," was my command.

"Keep the Strigoi safely locked. If you have any problems with them, please tell me. I'll…" Rose paused, biting her lip before sighing softly. "I'll need them later."

When fully entering the grounds, and the wards having been put back up, the whispers of passing students reached our ears. Did they think of Rose, beautiful and kind, to be a side show within a circus act? Possibly, when what they were saying.

All were ignored though, until one such student 'whispered' to one of his friends.

"Thank God, they finally caught that Strigoi loving traitor," he snickered, the others following though a bit more cautious. "Wonder if the guardians would have the guts to end her. Took them this long to get her, after all. They also let her go in the first place."

Faster than any of us could comprehend, Rose left the hold I had on her, appearing a second later, a few inches separating her from the student.

"Hello, Zeklos," she growled, stopping herself to lower her voice. "It's fine if you want to speak badly of me, I deserve it for allow this to happen to me. However," her eyes slitted, what could be seen of her lovely browns were now flickering red and back. "If you dare speak a word against the guardians of this school, any guardian or Dhampir that could possibly guard you in the future, I will personally destroy you. Got it?" Her lips split into an eerie grin, the tip of her new fangs glimmering.

Jesse's eyes were as wide as saucers, nodding, his entourage already having disappeared. When she was sure he had gotten the message, she appeared back in front of me, hands back within mine as if she hadn't left.

"Continue, Comrade." She said, as casual as discussing the weather.

My hands tightened their grip slightly, in case she thought of escaping. It was only then that I realized how cool her skin was. Warm enough to not be mistaken as alive, but cold enough to lead suspicion. She hadn't tried to kill anyone, or escape which she could at any time. _Was she my Roza still? Could she still be my Roza, even though she had been turned? My caring, beautiful, intelligent Roza?_ I did not want to raise my hopes too much, but it was hard when they were already soaring within the sky.

It took me a while to realize that we were in front of the 'interrogation' room. (Which was just one of the smaller break rooms.) I placed her, gently, in a chair within the middle of the room. Her eyes looked down at the floor, averted from anyone's judging gaze.

"Okay, fire. I knew you all have questions," she said while in a silence.

Before I could ask anything, Janine stepped up. Her head was high, but you could see her strength wavering.

"Rosemarie. What happened to you? Why did we need to take the rest of the Strigoi with us? Is it a plot to take down the school? Why have you not tried to attack any of us?" With the last question, the tears started to fall, wave breaking, causing Rose to look up at her mother in shock.

The eyes that had been wavering between original and Strigoi were now set on the normal deep brown that I had come to love. A war being raged with her emotions – like she didn't know how to handle them.

After what seemed like a hour, she finally spoke.

"Mum, it's because I'm not… I'm not a Strigoi."

**Thanks for reading everyone. This is the updated fifth chapter! This chapters Favourite Reviewer is actually two people under the names of: ****badasschic ****and ****talkygirl**** because both of their reviews made me laugh so very hard. Hopefully I'll have a few more reviews to check out by tomorrow. This chapters question is:**

**What do you think everyone's reactions will be when Rose tells them she's isn't Strigoi?**

**I would like to know what you think everyone will do. Maybe Janine will slap Rose for lying or Lissa will burst out crying or (to be a bit adventurous) maybe Dimitri kill kiss her as soon as he hears, in a room that is full of people!**

**Only time will tell! Hoped you all enjoyed it and I cannot wait to share more with you.**


	6. Chapter 6: Quickly, Dear

_I'll Love You For Eternity_

_"Mum, it's because I'm not… I'm not a Strigoi."_

**Janine **

The shock of the words made me halt in my grief, however the tears did not stop.

_Not a Strigoi? I saw her get turned. It has to be a ploy, to lull us into a false sense of security before the other six start to terrorize the school. Yes, that has to be it. _

Steeling myself, trying to hold back any emotions I would show for my daughter, I walked right up to the monster wearing her skin. I paused when in front of her, my resolve wavering, then my mind filled up with images of pale skin, red eyes, unnaturally elongated teeth. My hand struck out, making contact with her cheek.

Silence followed before she erupted.

"What was that for?" She hissed, fangs peeking out from behind her lips.

"For lying. I, as well as many other people, know that you are a Strigoi. Guardian Belikov and I saw it ourselves."

"Mum, I'm not lying. Please, please believe me," she pleaded with her eyes, almost making me believe her, if the gleam from her fangs didn't catch my attention.

"Then explain those," I pointed to her lips, making her flinch. "Explain the speed you displayed, your paler skin, the red ring around your eyes. Face the facts, _Rosemarie,_" my voice dripped with acid, tasting wrong on my tongue. "You are in denial, or making us believe you are so we'd let out guards down. You are a Strigoi, and you know it." My voice, once more, wavered, betraying my emotions. I tried my hardest to mask any soft emotions, bringing forth as much hatred as I could.

The only problem was that I didn't hate her. I could never hate my daughter, no matter what she says or does, because I loved her so much. What I hated was the bastard that turned her, the Strigoi population for ever existing, just not her. I could never hate her, even if she was killing me at that very moment.

"Mum," her voice trailed off, making me focus back on her. Her eyes looked around to everyone else's before settling back on me, misty. "Pl-please, you have to believe me. I know you saw me turned, I replay that moment in my head almost every single day, wishing I could go back to the moment and stop it from ever happening. But, I'm different. I'm not a full Strigoi, and I'll do anything in my power to prove it to you."

"How? How are you different from the others?" The Princess spoke, voice laced with curiosity.

"Have I lunged for you? Tried to attack any of you? You all saw that I could easily escape Dimitri's hold, I could have done it at any time," she paused, settling us all with a look. "Do you all honestly think I couldn't escape from there cuffs, or jump out that window?"

"You could just be good at suppressing those emotions," Vasilisa commented, lifting her chin.

"Have you ever seen a young Strigoi hold back like this? From even _trying _to attack one of you?"

She had a point. Normally, young Strigoi would never be able to hold back – especially with royal Moroi blood so close.

"I'll tell you why. I don't hunger for your blood, it's Strigoi I hunger for."

The shock hit everyone, including myself. I had to take a few steps back and sit down on a chair, eyes never moving from her. She started speaking again before anyone else did.

"When I was _awoken," _she spat, a growl accenting the word, "the Strigoi that were with me took me out to a night club. It was famous as a Strigoi hot spot – Firefly's Night. There are always Strigoi there, necking girls to check how rich their blood was, and no one bar the bouncers, really knew what they were doing. I often refused when asked, saying that I had higher tastes than them. They needed to be reassured that I was a Strigoi to them, that I was nothing but them." She paused, swallowing audibly, before a look of shame crossed her face. "When they asked about my tastes, I said that I wanted Moroi blood. But not just any, Dragomir. They let me off because they thought it was natural since I was so close with Lissa. I meant nothing by it.

"During the day we slept in the compound set up for us, then head over to the club. Those who weren't part of 'our' group were the ones I attacked, and it seemed they were starting to notice. So I ran, back to the caves and have been there ever since you found me."

She sighed when finished, shoulders slumping, head hanging. There were no more sounds, the only sounds being the outside world. No one seemed to know what to do, what to say.

Then a tall body whirled past, blocking my view of Rose, shocking all of us into an even bigger stupor.

Of course, I had my suspicions but this was the confirmation I needed.

The anger, the misery, the rage, that had been building up inside of me since the attack increased with what I saw. My heart broke, yet my mind was rational.

And it did nothing for the thoughts I had.

**Dimitri **

I barely heard the words she had spoken, yet I knew her explanation was true. I knew Roza, knew when she was lying, and this was not such a time.

I was sure, with the deepest part of me, that this creature in front of me was _my _Roza. The courageous, strong, caring, self-sacrificing young woman I had fallen for. The little details did not matter – she gained fangs, her tan skin was only slightly paler, her eyes flashed red with her stronger emotions – because they didn't change anything about her.

She was here, alive and not trying to kill any one. So, it only took me a short moment to decide my next course of action.

Within a second, and without any pause for rationality, I moved towards her and wrapped my arms around her as much as I could, enveloping her in an embrace. It was an easy movement, one that hopefully expressed my emotions for her. Her back grew ridged for a moment before she relaxed, leaning her forehead against my shoulder since she didn't dare move her arms.

Even with the innocent touch, she set my body ablaze. A comforting wild fire that spread warmth throughout my body and made me question whether this was actually happening or not. She seemed not to want to hold back any longer, breaking the flexi-cuffs to return the hug. Her fingers dug into the back of my shoulders, soft sounds escaping, a wetness seeping through my clothing.

I never wanted to let her go again, never wanted anything or anyone to hurt her so long as I should live.

For some reason, though, I was pushed back by three of the observing guardians, held down against the ground, while three others grabbed hold of Rose.

My mind clouded over in a daze, terror striking my heart when I heard the next words.

"Kill her."

**I did my best to rewrite this with added content. I also changed the kiss to a hug, because I thought it flowed a little better. (Little did you guys know that the original scene was meant to be a hug not a kiss.)**

**It is time for: Favourite Reviewer! This week I was a bit disappointed with the small amount of people who reviewed but it goes out to: ****BelikovsRoza1697. ****Congratulations darling. **

**Now, this chapter's question:**

**Who do you think shouted to kill Rose and what do you think Dimitri will do?**

**I would like at least 5 people to say what they think, I don't get many who actually answer my questions so five seems a small amount to ask for. **

**Love you all, always.**


	7. Chapter 7: No, My Love

Last time on:

_The Bold and the Beau-_

**Rose: This isn't the Bold and the Beautiful! This is V-  
Christian: SPARTA!**

**Rose: *glares at Christian* **

**Me: Sorry about that Rose, I'll fix it! Oh, and a little warning: This will a short M scene.**

Last time on:

_I'll Love You For Eternity_

"_Quick! Stake her!"_

**Dimitri**

My body froze for a second, the words ringing in my ears. They were going to stake My Roza, my normal Roza. I took a look at her brown eyes, in them held sorrow and love. She wasn't even struggling against them, just letting them take her away. I looked away, to the person who said those heart wrenching words. To my surprise it was Lissa, her gloved hand holding a stake as she advanced to Rose, tears in her eyes. I had to do something, anything, to stop her. I slumped by shoulders slightly, making Yuri, Stan and Denel think I've given up. Their grip on me slackened and, with a speed that could rival a Strigoi, I leapt towards Rose just as Lissa was plunging the stake into her heart. I stood over her as I felt the cold metal slide into my back, the pain almost unbearable but I kept strong for her. I smiled weakly as I looked into her eyes, my hair framing my face. One of my hands cupped her cheek, shaking as my thumb stroked her soft skin. Her hypnotizing brown eyes held me, her lids welling up with tears.

"Why... Why did you do that Dimitri?" She whispered, didn't really matter how soft she whispered 'cause everyone could hear, the silence making her words sound louder. I smiled, a rare full grin although it was weak.

"I did that for you. I couldn't let them destroy you, not before they take me first. I could barely last four days without you, how do you think I could last an eternity? I would have killed myself the first chance I could." As I finished I felt the metal being pulled out but what I really felt was Rose's hand brushing my hair from my eyes.

"You. Are. So. Stupid." She spoke in fragments as tears started to fall, making glimmering trails down her cheeks. "You should have just let them kill me but now..." She trailed off as tears fell freely, her shoulders shaking.

"Roza, высушите ваши слезы. Это все будет прекрасно, я разберу это и вы тоже. Или я умру добивающийся Вас, моего храброго, красивого Roza." I whispered in Russian as I could feel myself getting weaker, the strength draining from my body yet I didn't move an inch. She kept me up, kept me strong, kept me alive.

"Dimitri... I-I won't have you die on me. You close your eyes for a split second and I will hit you. You stop breathing or your heart stops beating then..." Her voice dropped lower, barely even a whisper as she continued. "I'll have no choice but to turn you. Having you as a monster is better then not having you at all."

"Нет! Вы слышите меня, нет. Если я умираю тогда, Вы позволяете мне умирать. Я не становлюсь монстром." I cursed softly before I switched to English. "Roza. If I die I want you to promise me you'll live... Without me." I know I said I would turn for her but it was different then. Back when I made my mind up I thought she was Strigoi but now, since she isn't, I can't- no, won't- let her turn me.

"I-I promise Dimitri." She said her voice as shaky as I felt. She placed a chaste kiss against my lips before she whispered, "I'll always love you." That was the last thing I heard and felt before the blackness swallowed me whole, leaving me screaming for My Roza on the inside.

**Rose**

His heart rate was slowing, his breathing evening out as his eyes fluttered closed.

"Dimitri... Open your eyes." I whispered as I felt his body go dead weight. His hand that was cupping my cheek went slack, falling to the side. I placed my own hands on his shoulders, shaking him gently. When I got no response I shook harder, my tears blurring the world around me, blurred everything except Dimitri.

"Dimitri. Open your eyes... Please." I whispered, shaking him once more before I felt an iron grip on my wrist. Without even thinking I flicked my wrist, sending whoever held me across the room, into a wall. Then everything felt like it was in a slow motion movie, a daze. My Dimitri was pulled off me, laid on the floor, people crowding around him. Others went for me; grapping my shoulders, hands, feet, anything really but I kept flinging them off. Didn't they understand? I have to help him, have to save him.

"Rose! Calm down!" That was Lissa's voice, the traitor who shoved the stake in his back. I stopped, glaring at her as I dropped my voice.

"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!" I screamed, not just at Lissa but at everyone. They all played a part. "You just couldn't leave me alone! You had to drag me back here and now look! DIMITRI IS GOING TO DIE AND IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!" I gritted my teeth, my eyes stinging as wave after wave more tears fell. Everyone was silent after my outburst but I wasn't finished.

"You all just signed his death warrant! He's going to die all because you were selfish! Well guess what! You just signed yours!" Faster then I thought possible I ran towards Dimitri before I jumped out the closest window. Luckily no one was out. I didn't know where to go really. They would check my room, Dimitri's room even the caves. I had to go to the one place they wouldn't think to go and that's when I started running into the trees. The cabin, our haven. I pushed down the door, shutting it behind me before placing Dimitri on the bed.

"I made you a promise and I'll keep it but I have to do something." I had no idea if he could hear me as I rolled him onto his side. Taking off his shirt I inspected his wound but I wish I didn't. His blood was like a song, lulling me to him, pulling a string that was connected to me, closer and closer. Only then did I notice I actually WAS moving closer to his skin, my throat burning, my tongue darting across my lips. I was hungry, starving... Burning for Dimitri's blood, just a drop, a taste. I tried to get a grip on myself yet the scent was a constant call.

_Jasmine and honey, kisses of sunshine at dawn, rain on a sunny day, elderberries in butterscotch sauce and lilacs. _

All those scents mixed together, a drug to my senses, an aphrodisiac of the sweetest kind, caused my will to drown in them. My tongue darted out, licking the wound, catching the drops on the tongue and when they made contact I exploded. I could taste everything I smelt; the sweetness of the honey, the slight tang of the elderberry, the warm liquid butterscotch, the luscious jasmine and the mix of both the rain of a sunny day and the kiss of dawn. Intoxicating, rousing, spellbinding, hypnotizing. I had to have more. That one lick became two, then three, not before long did it become ten. I couldn't stop but I did. There was no more around the wound; in fact, the wound itself was non-existent anymore.

"What. The. Fuck?" The words surrounded the air, swirling. Before I could question anything more I heard a groan, a deep, sexy Russian accented groan.

"Dimitri?" I asked, worry in my words.

"Roza?" Dimitri sat up, looking at me for a second before falling back down onto the pillows, hands over his eyes. "Great, now I'm hallucinating that she's here." He mumbled under his breath causing me to chuckle.

"Dimitri, I'm really here." That only caused him to remove his hands, one of his perfectly arched eyebrows rising.

"How do I know you're not a figment of my imagination?" His voice holding amounts of scepticism. I smiled as I moved slowly, an extra swing in my hips, going to straddle his waist. His eyebrow raised a bit higher, his hands hesitantly going to my waist while I bent my head down to his ear.

"Would you be able to feel a mirage?" My breath was heavy against his neck. "Hold a figment of your imagination?" My hand travelled down his chest, the hard planes of his muscles smooth under my palm. "Be touched by a hallucination?"

"N-no." His voice came out huskily, smooth like chocolate. The pads of his thumbs rubbing slow, sensual circles into my exposed skin around my waist. I wiggled down a little further, our hips right against each others.

"So, in conclusion, I must be real."

Then I put my lips against his, feeling as they moved in synch, a dance neither participant practiced yet fit.

***M scene! If you are under 16 then please wait until the next bold, although it's not as bad at the start.***

His heated hands roamed up from my hips, going under the shirt I wore before sliding it up, over my head, breaking the kiss. When it was removed he pulled me back to him, our lips battling in a heated battle, our tongues fighting for dominance over the other. In no time at all he won, his tongue teasing mine in a very libidinous way as his hands slid higher, cupping my breasts with both his hands. I moved my hands at some point, undoing my jeans, trying to wiggle them down my legs, which earned me a growl from Dimitri. I broke our kiss this time, pulling away from him. His soft growling as he tried to pull me back to him but I placed my hands on his chest, my arms straight.

"Dimitri. Let me do this." I whispered before I lowered myself to his lean, muscled chest, placing kisses on his smooth skin. I traced every contour of his chest that I could reach while moving myself further down. Soon I was between his legs, my tongue swiftly darting across his abdominal muscles while my hands were being kept busy by trying to remove his jeans. His breathy moans fuelling me to go faster, to try to get them down but my hands were shaking.

_Fucking hell! Could it be any harder! _I asked myself as I finally started sliding down his jeans, taking his shoes off in the same instant. His head lifted, meeting my eyes for a second and I felt... Different. It wasn't like the night with the lust charm or the night in the same cabin, it was totally different. We weren't just giving into our emotions or being driven by lust, we were mesmerized in each other. His piercing brown eyes were slightly clouded in lust but mostly they shone with love, love for me. I hoped mine were the same, reflecting everything he felt for me. Then it felt like I wasn't even in my body, instead I was a third party witness, watching everything like watching a movie. I saw everything that was being done, could feel it but I couldn't do anything really, just respond to his touch. His warm hands wrapped around my arms, pulling me up his body until I was, once again, straddling his waist. Unlike my hands his were precise, knew exactly how to move as they danced down my stomach to the waistband of my jeans, undoing the buttons before pulling them off me. I was left sitting on him in my bra and panties, him in his boxers underneath me. In that moment I thought I could hear words being sung, words that fitted well with what we were doing.

'_The best thing about tonight's that we're not fighting_

_It couldn't be that we have been this way before_

_I know you don't think that I am trying_

_I know you're wearing thin down to the core'_

Instantly I knew the song, it was favourite of mine. Fall For You by Secondhand Serenade.

Slowly, as if he was afraid he would scare me, he lifted his hand, caressing my cheek as he slowly pulled me towards him. Our lips brushing in a soft kiss, soft yet strong in its own way. The world faded as we added a little pressure, building us up, increasing our love.

'_But hold your breath_

_Because tonight will be the night that I will fall for you_

_Over again_

_Don't make me change my mind_

_I won't live to see another day_

_I swear it's true_

_Because a girl like you is impossible to find_

_You're impossible to find'_

His hands hooked into my underwear, looking into my eyes yet again, asking for permission which I gave with a small nod. While looking into my eyes he slid them off me, dropping them on the side of the bed before placing his hands back on my waist.

"Roza..." His voice was lyrical, a symphony to my ears. "I love you, no matter what you are. I always have loved you and I will keep on loving you with all my heart for as long as I live."

'_This is not what I intended_

_I always swore to you that I would never fall apart_

_You always thought that I was stronger_

_I may have failed_

_But I have loved you from the start'_

I single tear fell down my cheeks, his hands wiping it away as soon as it appeared. Without really knowing how I did it, I removed his boxers, our skin making contact which sent a heat sizzling down my spine and through every nerve ending in me.

'_But hold your breath_

_Because tonight will be the night that I will fall for you_

_Over again_

_Don't make me change my mind_

_I won't live to see another day_

_I swear it's true_

_Because a girl like you is impossible to find_

_It's impossible to find'_

With one last look, telling me I could back down and leave, he slowly entered me, his manhood gliding into my core. It didn't hurt as much as the first time, when I lost my virginity to the man I love, but it hurt just a little. My eyes closed and, without even looking at him, I knew his eyes were closed to. My head was falling back, revelling in the ecstasy of him –of us as one.

'_So breathe in so deep_

_Breathe me in_

_I'm yours to keep_

_And hold onto your words_

'_Cause talk is cheap_

_And remember me tonight_

_When you're asleep'_

Slowly and as softly as he could he moved us, pulling me up a little while he moved away before he connected us again. It went like that for a little while longer, us kissing every few minutes, taking our time to revel in our love for each other.

'_Because tonight will be the night that I will fall for you_

_Over again_

_Don't make me change my mind_

_I won't live to see another day_

_I swear it's true_

_Because a girl like you is impossible to find'_

Our pace increased a little, my hands now resting on his chest, feeling his heart beat under my palm. Even with our very slow pace (it just made everything more special) I could feel a coil in my stomach, building up in me, making me focus on us more intently. I could hear a little strain under his breath as we continued; I could feel he was close to losing it, close to breaking control and breaking this spell on us. Yet he tried to hold on, to make it count, to capture my heart more then he already had.

'_Tonight will be the night that I will fall for you_

_Over again_

_Don't make me change my mind_

_I won't live to see another day_

_I swear it's true_

_Because a girl like you is impossible to find_

_You're impossible to find'_

The song that was playing in my head was starting to finish, the keys of the piano playing off sweetly, just like we were. We were playing our last strings, holding on until the other gave in first but no one would. With one last thrust we both found pure bliss, a small gasp flowing its way out of my mouth, a deep throated yet soft moan escaping his lips. At that moment I felt like I was floating, on a cloud, free of a body that weighed be down. I was having one of those 'out of body experiences' some people talk about having but I knew this was real. This was heaven, a cloud that soared us both past the sky, out into a world that belonged to just us.

***End of M scene***

We laid there for a while longer, staring into each other's eyes while we tried to regain the breath that seemed to evade us. The only sound was our heavy pants and our frantic hearts.

"Roza... That was... Amazing." Dimitri said into the quiet, his voice no louder than a whisper.

"Amazing? It was... Beyond words." I whisper back, rolling off of him and onto my side, facing him. A smile as wide as the Nile River came across his face, eyes shining with love.

"I agree Roza. Beyond words but it was also beyond Earth." He said as he buried his face in my hair.

"Dimitri." I looked into his eyes, forcing him to keep his focus on me. "My heart belongs to you, my everything is yours. My innocence, my love, just everything because I know, deep inside, that you're my one and only, the keeper of my heart." With that I kissed him long, my passion screaming to him, my essence burning for him.

"Roza, Roza, Roza. I'll gladly have it, have you all. Be it broken or whole, beaten or mended. There isn't anything I wouldn't do for you, nothing I won't do for you in the future. My everything is you, so if you shall go then I shall go with you because without my everything I am but a shell of my former self." Those words were as close as we could get to marriage vows at the moment but I wouldn't have it any other way. Nothing else could do at this moment, not a ring or a pretty white dress, just us saying our love to each other. Mine were true and I could tell his were too, that no matter what bump in the road we hit we could get over it... Together. As he leaned down to kiss me again I could hear footsteps in the distance.

"Dimitri. They're coming." We sprang apart, quickly finding our clothes and donning them on, just in time for the door to open with a slam. The only thought buzzing in my mind was that they had found us.

**Whoa! Sorry it took so long but you can probably see why. Sorry I haven't updated ****Vampire Academy, Dimitri's POV ****but I was really getting into this and I'm having a little writers block with it. I'm also trying to post of ****St. Vladimir's: The Next Generation ****but, yet again, I've got a little writers block. ALRIGHT! Time for: Favourite Review! This chapter it is: Nueemann! She/he was the only person (or android) who guessed right about who yelled to stake Rose. Also I'd like to thank all 16 people who reviewed! Thank you! Now, time for the question:**

**IF a giant, epic DANCE BATTLE just randomly broke out in the middle of the next chapter, which team would win? **

**The Guardian's or the Novices?**

**Yes, I know this question is absolutely random but it's two o'clock in the morning and I'm kind of tired and crazy on Pineapple juice. Oh and it's still Halloween Eve in the story, got something special planned.**

**Love always**

**Becca!**

**P.S: Sorry about the M scene being a little... Too polite and not having CRAZY MONKEY SEX in it. It's my first real M scene so I thought it should be started as crazy lust but end in sweet nothingness. Don't worry for those who wanted crazy monkey sex, it will come later *wink wink, nudge nudge***

**Translations:**

**Roza, высушите ваши слезы. Это все будет прекрасно, я разберу это и вы тоже. Или я умру добивающийся Вас, моего храброго, красивого Roza - Roza, dry your tears. It will all be fine, I'll make it out and so will you. Or I'll die trying for you, my brave, beautiful Roza.**

**Нет! Вы слышите меня, нет. Если я умираю тогда, Вы позволяете мне умирать. Я не становлюсь монстром - No! You hear me, no. If I die then you let me die. I'm not becoming a monster.**


	8. Chapter 8: Violent Delight

_I'll Love You For Eternity:_

'_The only thought buzzing in my mind was that they had found us.'_

**Rose**

The first pair of eyes I saw were that of ice blue, that same blue that went with that black hair. Christian Ozera, Lissa's boyfriend. Another thing I noticed was that his hands had rings of fire in them, burning like the fire in his eyes. He was pissed and he was the leader of this, since he had the most practice with offensive magic, I'm guessing.

"Rose." His voice sounded like it was carved out of ice; deadly, cold, emotionless.

"Christian." I nod, my stance not changing in case of an attack. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Dimitri widening his stance ever so slightly.

"I see you didn't kill him." He said sarcastically, irritation pouring through each word. What did I do that would piss him off so badly?

"As you can see he is fine, more so then when we came here in the first place." I directed my words out at every other Guardian that were straining to hear what the exchange between was like. All was silent for a few seconds before Christian sighed.

"Rose. I'll give you one chance. Surrender now or we fight you and since there are more of us then there are of you, we will win." His smirk showed as he talked, only just catching a small glimpse of his fangs under his pale pink lips. In return I showed my own, my fangs slightly larger then his, slightly whiter, slightly sharper. You could only see his flinch if you were either standing right beside him or had super vision.

"Christian... Christian... Christian." My smirk grew, my lips pulling tightly over my teeth, my wicked teeth gleaming in the eerie moonlight.

"I was a badass as a Dhampir, beating most people at this school. With my new status I'm just MORE of a kick-ass, badass, deadly fighting machine. Face it, even if you had half the Royal Guard here, I would still win." With that I launched my attack. I know it was dumb of me, most trained Guardians and senior Novices know that you wait for the Strigoi to make the first move, but in my case I had to. Instead of balling over Christian to get to the door I jumped into the rafters of the roof, digging my sharp nails into the wood, grabbing hold. I felt like a spider, hanging there without a care, until the fire started to show around me. I could feel the heat, even embraced it but I broke the wood I was clinging onto, breaking straight through to the outside. I crouched there for a second, the world around me taking a reddish tint, every face glowing red, every leaf, even the sky. That was when the sounds broke out around me, the screams, the shouts, even the curses. Mostly the curses actually.

"Rosemarie Hathaway! Get you nasty little Strigoi brain into fucking gear and just surrender! You can't win! You're just more of an arrogant little bitch then you were before, more of a larcenous, shrewd vixen!" My 'mother' yelled out to me and I had to admit, she was getting a little creative with her calling me a thieving, malicious spiteful woman.

"I CAN WIN MOTHER!" I shouted back as I leapt into the closest tree, hardly shaking a leaf. As soon as I disappeared the noise went with me, no sound was being made. They were trying to find me, to try and hear me but I had a surprise for them. Closing my eyes I did something I never really wanted to do; I called upon the Darkness. Only two things can help win this and that was either giving myself to the Darkness or to the Strigoi in me. Either way some people will be seriously hurt but I'd rather not kill anyone. When I opened my eyes again I saw only hate, hate for everyone that was there.

Stan because he was ass.

Christian for all the shit he's given me.

My mother for leaving me.

Kirova for keeping me in this Hell hole.

Lissa because it's always about her.

Eddie for going away with Mason.

Mia for being a bitch when we returned.

Jesse because he was a fucking jerk and dick.

I could have gone on for ages, saying name after name, about why I hate them but there were only two people I could never hate: Alberta and Dimitri. Alberta was my mother while here, she basically raised me. Hell, she even gave me my first ever combat lesson. Dimitri because he was Dimitri, the love of my life, the holder of my heart. I couldn't hurt them because they had done nothing to hurt me, ever. I moved with the grace of a ballerina, the agility of a cheetah, the predatory instinct of a tiger and the hatred only someone like me can have. From the branch I originally landed on to the closest, I was silent, deadly, beautiful. I kept moving, my feet only making the faintest of sound but you would have to have the hearing of a Strigoi to have heard them. I was now right above a few of the Guardians by the back, ones I didn't know their names to. Jumping out of the tree as quietly as I could I snuck behind them, going for the strugglers so they wouldn't be as noticeable, cracking their heads together. I shivered in a violent delight, the sound of their skulls coming together in a sickening thud. After that first attack my world blacked out, the Darkness taking over. I wanted to get out, to at least try to keep in control of myself but it wasn't working. Instead I was in some sort of dream. A woman in a pure white dress, her hair as dark as mine, her tanned skin glowing. I walked up to her, reaching my hand out, grabbing hold of her shoulder.

"Rosemarie. I see you have finally given in to the Dark." Her voice, so familiar yet I've never heard it before.

"Who are you?" My voice stammered out, my hand falling from her slender shoulder. She turned, causing me to gasp, she was... Me.

"Rosemarie, I am not you. You are Me." Even though I was pretty sure I was myself and not some white copy, her words held the truth.

"Then... How am I you yet you are me? This isn't making any sense!" I called out in frustration.

"Rosemarie. I am Lilac. Lilac Deseroux. I've been in the Heaven's for a while, waiting until you were born. Until you embraced, fully, the powers of the Darkness." Her voice, silky yet rough, spoke to my soul.

"But, what does it have anything to do with this?"

"Rose. I am your soul really, most of it. You are nothing like what I was at your young age, anything but, yet you know more then I had ever known at that age. You know of love, hate, duty, power, death and heart. I only had four of those things but only three were given back to me."

"Lilac, I'm still confused." My hands grabbed the sides of my head as I spoke, trying to get rid of the headache that had started to thump in my head. Her hand went to my shoulder, pulling me close to her.

"It will make more sense in the near future Rose. For now though all I can tell you is this; you have gained more power then you posses now, the Darkness is now forever constant in your blood. Your need for blood has increased to, as has your need for love. Stay with the one that holds your heart, as you hold his, and you will always find your way to the Light." Her words were fading as the Light started to drown out the Darkness. I was once again in my own mind and boy, was I in some deep shit.

**Dimitri ****–from when Rose went into the trees-**

I couldn't see her, no one could, everyone was looking frantically yet silently for her. No one moved, spoke and I think some even stopped breathing. Of course I wasn't really on their side for this battle though, I was on Rose's side. Blacking out the world for a second I tried to find her, looking through the tree's to find my answer.

"_Look to the back, she will be there. Wait for the violent delight and then you'll find her."_

That voice was mine yet I had never heard of that wistful tone used by myself before. And what did that voice in my head mean by 'look to the back' or 'the violent delight'? What could those mean? While I was still trying to figure out what that encrypted message was about, my eyes shifted towards the back of the group. A flash of black caught my attention, that black had dark hair and tanned skin. That black blur of speed was Rose. Wait, black blur? Her hands darted out, smacking two heads towards each other, a loud sickening thud coming from both as they fell limply to the ground. No one else seemed to notice though, all too busy trying to find her while she was slowly taking away their numbers. Hell, I wouldn't have been able to find her if I wasn't so in tune with her, my heart beating in time with hers, my soul reaching towards hers. Her speed was amazing, faster then any Strigoi I have seen, faster then the wind itself but it was the black around her that had me worried.

"_You have to stop her. She's calling the Darkness to her. She'll not stop until everyone feels pain."_

That voice, me yet not me, called out in my mind. It had some remnants of sensibility yet it was sounding impossible. The last time Roza called that darkness to her we ended up in the cabin; this time felt stronger, more vicious, evil yet it was showing her soul, helping her blend into the night, becoming the night itself. Silently I sunk into the crowd, moving my way to her as she gained more speed, more Guardians and senior Novices being knocked unconscious. It was eerie, watching the good hearted young woman you love become someone different, something different. Not evil, just... Darker. She was still My Roza, still my love, yet she wasn't. I couldn't put my finger on it, couldn't find a logical explanation to it. She was there but not. My feet started to move on their own accord, taking long strides to her vastly moving figure, trying to keep up with her. Someone must have notice because the next thing I hear is someone shouting,

"OVER THERE! SHE'S OVER THERE!" That was when the Darkness around her started to reside, not disappearing just fading a little. I wondered for a split second if anyone can see it, the swirling black that looked to be embracing her, caressing her like a lover would. Rose was oblivious to it, looking around at everyone.

"Rose. Give up now. You're already in enough trouble as it is." Alberta's voice rang out in the silence. Her eyes found mine as I reached her, hers asking what should she do.

"Roza. I'll be right beside you, no matter what." I whispered to her, filling my eyes with all the love I could muster. After a few more seconds she broke the contact as looked at Alberta.

"Fine. I'll give in. Just... Give me a Strigoi, I'm hungry." Her voice rang out strong, unafraid to anyone else but I can see behind her facade. She was terrified about what will happen to herself, to me, to Lissa, to everyone she loves. I grabbed her hand, twining our fingers while Alberta walked up to us, cuffs in her hands. When she tried to remove my hand from hers I shook my head.

"Belikov..." Her voice trailed off, strong and final but I didn't listen to her. A huge crowd was around us, I had three choices.

Whisper to Alberta why I won't.

Yell out to the whole crowd that I loved Roza.

_OR_

Remove my hand from hers.

The only question was which I should do. I didn't want to just tell Alberta since most of the Guardians saw us kissing before I got staked in the back but I didn't want to yell out to everyone without asking Rose if she was okay with. And I really didn't want to remove my hand from hers, I just got her back. I mentally sighed, looking down at our joined hands, a faint smile on my lips as I remembered our second time, the magic of it, the way it felt as we stared into each other's eyes, the feeling that THIS is where I should always be; In her arms, her in mine. With a slight shake of my head I looked back at Alberta.

**Okay! Now it's time for another poll! What should Dimitri do? Whisper to Alberta, yell out to everyone OR remove his hand? It's up to you my faithful readers! Now, time for: Favourite Reviewer! This chapter's goes out to... ****RozaBelikova_4-ever! ****Because of a little spelling mistake making her write "this was a god chapter". Alright, question time:**

**If you could be in my story for the next chapter, what you yell out to Dimitri and Rose while they are standing where they are now?**

**I wanted to get you guys into it somehow. And this question will also be a contest! So, if you want your chance to be in the story for a chapter (or maybe more then one) tell me what you would say! The best answer wins! And before I go: Please have a read of: Dimitri Death Threats by readerabove. She has done excellent on these Death Threats and I'm upset that not many people are reviewing her work. So please have a little look and leave her a comment, it would make her (and my) day.**

**Time to go people!**

**Love always,**

**Becca**


	9. Chapter 9: War Of Hearts

_I'll Love You For Eternity:_

'_With a slight shake of my head I looked back at Alberta.'_

**Dimitri **

Alberta's eyes were casted upon me, wondering what I was going to do. I still had no idea myself but I knew that I couldn't let Rose face anything alone, anymore. I started to remove my hand, I couldn't risk her life anymore then I already had, but a whispered voice stopped me.

"_Don't t take her for granted, Dimitri. You two fit together perfectly, bringing each other love and tranquillity. She'll be strong if you are, weak if you shall be, loving if your heart holds it."_

The voice wasn't spoken aloud, like the other voice, but inside my head. It resembled Rose's but was softer, less strong, yet the words were a jab into my senses. She was right; I shouldn't take my Roza, my strong beautiful Roza, for granted. With that resolve in my mind I removed my hand.

Only to grab her chin, pulling her closer to me.

Everything seemed to slow, the outside world forgotten. It was only us, together, as our lips touched. At first her body froze, seeming too shocked to reply, before her shoulders slumped in acceptance, her lips moving with mine like they were one.

Faintly, I could hear numerous gasps from around us, as well as a few 'awe's but all my thoughts were focused on Rose. I could smell her clearly, drinking in the scent I had missed for days; _gardenias, frangipanis and azalea mixed with spring rain and misty water. _Lovely, heavenly... Home.

She made me feel like I was home, home and at peace while with her. Her arms tightened from around my neck, pulling me closer, trying to deepen the kiss but I couldn't let it go that far. Slowly, cautiously I pulled away from her, looking into her hazel eyes. They shone with love and warmth, things you couldn't find in a Strigoi, while the radiant smile that lightened her face was anything but cold, her fangs only just showing under her bottom lip. Strangely they suited her, gave her a more dangerous look.

"Belikov, I want an explanation." Alberta said annoyance clear in her voice. I looked over her shoulder, seeing many shocked faces, before settling my sight back on Alberta. Rose's hand was back in mine, holding tightly. My gaze didn't remain on Alberta long; it went back to Rose's eyes. A smile spread across my face as I spoke out, addressing everyone but speaking to her.

"I'm in love with Rosemarie Hathaway." Her smile grew into a grin, eyes brimming with tears but it didn't last long. Her head snapped in the direction of the school building, gaze turning murderous and just like that, she was gone. A second later a scream sounded out, loud and male. Every Guardian in attendance tensed before running towards the scream. What we saw shocked us.

Rose was fighting with one of the Strigoi we had taken with us, they must have awoken.

**Rose**

"I'm in love with Rosemarie Hathaway." His voice was only normal, not loud, yet I know everyone had heard it. I couldn't keep that grin off my face, the tears that threatened to spill were those of joy. That was until I heard a whimpering sound, familiar whimper sound at that. Without a second thought I ran, faster than I thought possible, towards the school buildings. I was running on instinct, an instinct to protect whomever was in danger. As I got to the scene anger boiled in my blood.

Golden Boy was holding Lissa up against the wall, pinning her there with her arms on her sides. He was leaning closer to her, fangs outwards, but, before he even got close, my fist struck out. The blow landed on his cheek, whipping his to the side, blood falling from his mouth. He looked back at me, fear glimmering a little in his eyes, as his tongue darted out to lick up the blood I'd spilt.

"Remember me you fucking bastard?" I said to him before launching myself, running on another instinct. This one though was made of pure rage, blind hate, and one that came from the Strigoi blood coursing through my veins. This one had no training but had malice.

We both snarled and growled as we fought; threats and curses flowing out from our mouths. He tried time and time again to hit me, only to not make contact before I was behind him. This wasn't a fight in where I was just a Dhampir, stuck with normal speed and strength, in this one I had the upper hand. I was faster, stronger, deadlier then my opponent.

I increased my speed, coming at him with a kick to the stomach before flipping, another kick hitting his head. We continued on, none of the Guardians surrounding us bothering to stop us.

"Bitch." He said through gritted teeth after I knocked one of his fangs out, a stupid distraction. I used it to my advantage, grabbing his neck with both my hands, nails digging into his skin. I was hit with the sweet aroma of his blood –not nearly as good as Dimitri's though- as it welled.

"I might be a bitch but at least I'm a bitch that can end your life." I let my animal instinct take over, my fangs sinking into his jugular. I closed my eyes as I felt the slick fluid flow down my throat, relieving the pain that was building. In less then no time he was dry, a shell of his former self. I growled before throwing him down onto the ground. He was still alive, Strigoi can't die from blood loss, but it was hard to tell.

A cruel smile flittered over my face as I crouched beside him, feeling his fear and horror radiating off him, as my hand went out to his chest. With a balled fist I added pressure, chuckling when I heard his whimper as his ribs started breaking.

"Do you feel weak? Drained? Dead?" He nodded at all three. "Good. This is for those lives you've ended." I smashed my hand against his chest, a wheeze escaping as on rib went through his heart. I stood up instantly, heading hastily towards Lissa.

"Liss... You okay? He didn't hurt you, did he? Because I swear, if he did I could find a way to bring him back alive and destroy him over again." I expected for her to yell at me, scream at me, call me monster. What I wasn't prepared for was her flinging herself into my arms, crying against my chest.

I froze for a split second before I wrapped my arms around her.

"Shh, it's okay Liss. He's gone." I felt my rage reside, being replaced by compassion.

"R-Rose... I-I thought I lost you!" She sobbed out, tears staining my shirt. "T-Thank you... I don't know w-what I would have d-done if you hadn't f-found me." I smiled softly at her.

"It's what I'm here for, remember Liss. I'm your Guardian; I'll always be there to protect you." I whispered into her ear, holding her closer.

"I missed you... Sister." She whispered back, voice stronger. Tears started to well up in my eyes once more.

"I missed you too..." I trailed off, receiving flashbacks of when we were younger, of a little simpler time.

_***flashback***_

"_Rose! Rose!" Lissa's young, innocent voice flittered over to me, calling me to her. I rushed to her, both of us stopping when we were close enough._

"_Liss, what's wrong? Are you hurt?" I noticed her eyes were brimmed with unshed tears, one of her hands rubbing at her lovely jade green eyes, red welts on her arms._

"_C-Camile... S-She grabbed me... She hurt me bad Rosie." I pulled her into a hug._

"_Don't worry, I'll protect you Lissa. I won't let her hurt you ever again, or her possie of same minded whores." She giggled a little._

"_What's a whore Rosie?" I shrugged, not knowing the answer._

"_No idea but I won't let them near you, ever again." A smile, pretty smile flashed across her face._

"_Thank you... Sister."_

_***end of flashback***_

That was the first time she had ever called me sister, and it had stuck from that day on. I was a part of her family, just as she was a part of mine. I held her closer to me, protecting her from her fears before I was brutally pulled away. My hands were placed behind my back while both Lissa and Dimitri yelled; trying to push past the Guardian's blocking their paths.

"Rosemarie Hathaway, you are to be sentenced..."

**Sorry for the short chapter but it's four thirty in the morning and I'm tired. In previous chapters I've said that it was the day before Halloween, well you can scratch that. I have realized that it wouldn't fit into the story so I want you all to delete it from your brains. Just hit that mental erase button... There, that wasn't so hard now was it?**

**Anyway, the winner of my contest was; **

_**BelikovsRoza1697; **__**"**_**If I was with everyone, I'd encourage Dimitri to admit his love for Rose. Dimitri should totally make out with Rose in front of everyone, it would be sooooo cute x"**

_**AND**_

_**SlimyBookWorm;**__** "**_**If I was in the next chapter I would be that girl in the white dress except it was me and I would tell them to not take anything for granted because bad things could happen or deadly is a good way to sum up your life rose and Dimitri loyalty. They fit together perfectly but beware the darkness could swallow you rose and take Dimitri with you. So what I mean when I say that is that they fit together perfectly but if one falls they both do."**

**I couldn't decide between the two so I formed them into one idea.**

**And... FINALLY! I've posted for one of my older stories! Victory dance! *dances randomly for a little while* **

**Anyway, hopes you all liked it!**

**Love Becca**

_**Letter to BelikovsRoza1697;**_** Okay, maybe it wasn't a full on make out scene between the two but it was close... Sort of...**

**Letter **

_**Letter to SlimyBookWorm; **_**In this chapter you were Lilac (the girl in the white dress) but only this once... Maybe...**


	10. Chapter 10: White Love

_I'll Love You For Eternity_

"_Rosemarie Hathaway, you are to be sentenced..." _

**Lissa (During Dimitri Kissing Rose)**

His hand left hers, breaking contact but not for long. It soon went under her chin, pulling her up towards him. They met in bliss, fitting perfectly against each other and I felt my resentment towards Rose melting. I couldn't find it in myself to hate her for something she has no control over, dislike her because she's supposedly a half monster.

They continued for while, a few female Guardians joining me with a smile and a coo, while others gasped, some even nodded. What more was that a few were even glaring at Dimitri. I shook my head; some things will never change, like those who have crushed on Rose. All too soon they pulled away from each other, a brilliant smile taking over her face. It was strange, seeing white tips on her lips, matching her yet not. They held each other close, seemingly in their own world.

"Belikov, I want an explanation." Was all I heard before I hand went across my face, dragging me along with it. The exposed skin that was touching me was cold, cold like ice, and strong; far stronger than normal.

"You better be quiet, Princess," Scorn and venom dripped on the last word. "If not, you'll be dead sooner." I struggled against his hold, twisting myself in every direction, as I tried to free myself from his hold. His grip tightened, pulling me closer to his chest as he dragged me. When we were far enough away he pushed me against a wall of the school, enclosing me.

I whimpered. I may have acted tough the past few days but that was around people I have known for a while, not a Strigoi. This was different, more dangerous. He leaned closer, making me feeling his breath across my neck, causing me to shutter in disgust.

"It will be so fun to drain you, young Dragomir. The last of the line, last of the family, to be crushed. Soon those Royals will notice that they aren't as safe as they wish to be." He leaned closer, almost close enough for me to feel his fangs going in my neck. Except...

Except he didn't get close. I found myself free, his presence pushed away from me, as he faced my savior.

Rose. Her eyes were black yet ringed with red, skin changing from a milky coca to a sheet white. Her fangs kept growing before shrinking, her body vibrating with raw power.

"Remember me you fucking bastard?" The words left her lips in a deadly hiss, adding to her aura of danger. Obviously he did remember her because his eyes flashed with slight fear before he covered it up. He didn't have time to say something as she launched herself at him, a black blur to normal eyes. She landed a few blows on him before she moved, both of them circling each other. Curses and threats ran out into the air.

You could see he was beaten yet he never gave up. He launched himself, time and time again, trying to reach her neck but she was always out of reach. Only a few times did he actually gain contact but she moved so fast that, by the time the hit landed, she was already behind him.

More power vibrated off her as she became faster, stronger then the Strigoi; which was a sight to see. The Strigoi couldn't keep up with her as she kept up her attacks. In no time at all her leg struck out, hitting his stomach before her body became airborne, another kick landing the side of his head. It forced the Strigoi down, coughing. Something white was against the pavement.

A tooth. Not just any tooth though, a fang. The Strigoi's fang.

"Bitch." His word grunted out of him before her hands went around his neck, nails biting into the skin. Rose took a small breath in before her words were spat out in anger.

"I might be a bitch but at least I'm a bitch that can end your life." Without any hesitation, her mouth was on his neck. It was like watching a horror movie. A sickening _squelch_ sound rang out loudly as her fangs sunk into his neck.

He struggled, furiously, as he tried to get free. The more he struggled though the more Rose drank, making him become weak. Soon she tossed him aside, alive but only just. She crouched besides him, obscuring her face from my vision. She planted her closed fist in the centre of his body.

"Do you feel weak? Drained? Dead?" Three weak, fable nods answered the question. "Good. This is for those lives you've ended." The sounds of bones breaking caused a shutter to run down my spine.

Rose stood back up, dark blood covering her fist as she turned towards me; the black and red eye colouring fading, skin becoming milky coca once again, fangs hiding behind her lips.  
"Liss... You okay? He didn't hurt you, did he? Because I swear, if he did I could find a way to bring him back alive and destroy him over again." Her words become compassionate, less like the words she had said to the Strigoi. I didn't care about it though as I flung my arms around her, tears running down my cheeks.

I held her close, not wanting her to leave. I felt safe, more safe then ever before. She was like an older sister, her leaving me before returning. Her arms pulled me to her, her hand running down my hair.

"Shh, it's okay Liss. He's gone." Her words calmed me yet I couldn't stop the tears.

"R-Rose... I-I thought I lost you! T-Thank you... I don't know w-what I would have d-done if you hadn't f-found me." I pulled away from her shirt, looking up into her brown eyes as I smiled softly. What surprised me was that she smiled back, gently. She then pulled me closer to her as she whispered.

"It's what I'm here for, remember Liss. I'm your Guardian; I'll always be there to protect you."

"I missed you... Sister." I couldn't stop myself from saying it, meaning the words.

"I missed you too..." She didn't finish her sentence as her eyes became glazed. I was then pulled away from her.

Arms went around me, holding me back from the one person I needed most. I tried to get to her, pushing my way through their strong arms. I could hear Dimitri calling out to Rose while she was still in that daze.

"Rosemarie Hathaway, you are sentenced to... Death." Not even those words broke her free. She didn't struggle as they moved her arms behind her body, dragging her away from everyone else.

"ROSE!" I screamed out, breaking through the masses of hands. She looked up at me, eyes clearing.

_Lissa..._

I froze for a second before I continued my way towards her. She hadn't spoken aloud, more in my mind.

"Rose, fight! This isn't like you!" I shouted yet again.

_Lissa, she's... Right. This isn't like me. I'm a... Fighter. _

She easily shook off her captors, not touching them. She held her rage, her spirit, close to her for she dared not show them. But could she keep that up, and for how long?

**Rose**

Her words were like ice as they washed over me, helping me recover from a daze. I shook free of my captors, trying to rein in my rising anger. Anger that they were trying to separate Lissa and Dimitri from me.

My frame wracked as I violently shivered, a pain starting to envelop me. It felt like a fire, not the ones with Dimitri, but a genuine fire. Searing painfully across my chest before going through me, branching across my back before lifting. It still contacted my back but felt lighter, less of a heavy weight. I fell to the ground, crying out in pain as it took over my body. The Guardians around me froze, Hell I think everyone did.

A scream of horror rang out and it took me a moment to notice that it was mine. It couldn't have been though; it wasn't something that sounded like me. Yet, I knew it was mine. My body convulsed with spasms, screams coming out every now and again. I felt two pairs of arms going around me, holding me.

_Elle__doit__être__en vie__  
__Might__d'un__  
__Puissance__de__cinq ans.__  
_

The words appeared out of nowhere, wrenching their way from my lips before a white light took over my vision, clouding the people I desperately wanted to see.

"Roza..." That was the last thing I heard before blacking out, my body crashing on itself, my lungs holding the air. I could feel my heart slowing to a slow, painful stop.

**GASP! What's happening to Rose? Will she be okay? Could this be the true end of Rose Hathaway! I know it seems like I've jittered from her being a Strihampir to this but there is a reason as to why. Both are connected. How, you might be asking, well that's a secret that's to be revealed later. **

**Translation:**

**She shall be alive**

**Might of one**

**Power of five.**_  
_

**This is only the first paragraph, the rest will be revealed later. Yes, I know I'm evil.**

**Time for the question;**

**What do you think is happening to Rose? What do you think should happen?**

**I would really like to hear your opinions on this, even though I know what's going to happen? Cheeky me. **

**Love you all and can't wait to hear from you.**

**Becca**

**P.S. *Note from Allysia* If anyone of you read **_**Everything's Gone Barking Mad **_**then make sure you vote on the poll for Rose's dress. The poll will be closing on the 9****th****.**


	11. Chapter 11: What Happened

_I'll Love You For Eternity_

"_I could feel my heart slowing to a slow, painful stop."_

**Steve **

Once again I was standing out the front of the _Firefly's Night, _protecting it like a Guardian would a Moroi. It was getting close to dawn and Rose still hadn't made her appearance, which was strange since she's here for two minutes before leaving. Maybe she grabbed all of them last night. I rolled my eyes. Yeah, that would be her, always the one to grab the guys attention.

They didn't care that she wore day old clothes; they only cared about her body and her scent.

Sure, she was beautiful –a guy would be blind not to see that- and witty, smart too. But to me she was more like a sister. I still remember the first day I saw her, even though it was three days ago.

_The club had only just closed, since it was open for almost a full day due to a whole fuck load of Strigoi staying in until the wee hours of morning. I was silently making my way to the parking lot, my car having been parked the furthest away so no one would see it covered in all the shadows. _

_It was brand new, although the making was only a year or two old. I grinned as I got closer to the sleek red car, the paint glistening in the dawning light. I have saved up for years, doing jobs no respectable Guardian would dare do, just to get this updated version of __**Saleen S7. **__This one was faster then that, having two twin-turbo V8 engines. _

_That's what it was called too; __**Saleen S7 Twin Turbo. **__It is an amazing drive but extremely flashy, hence why I park in the shadows. To me it looked like it was designed by the wind, having the right curves to pick up better speed. _

_I had only just gotten to the door, about to rise up the doors when I heard some bushes nearby rustling. Not by wind though... But a shadow._

_That shadow had wicked lovely curves, showing off assets of breasts and hips, which could only mean a female. From what I could catch of her –which was not much- she was around five-foot-four with long hair and her eyes... Glowed._

_Not like in when the sun touches someone's eyes making them appear to glow, no, they were glowing. As in a red ring around her eyes, meaning she was a Strigoi. _

_I slowly reaching into my coat pocket, pulling out my stake, as I prepared to fight off the blood sucking fiend._

"_Go ahead Rosie... Make your first kill on this Dhampir." A chilling, emotionless voice called out from the darkness. The one they called 'Rosie' moved closer to me but looked down at the ground._

"_You can leave. I can handle him by myself. I don't need back up." She looked behind herself, into the tree lining, speaking to the other Strigoi with menace. A little while later more rustling happened, indicating that they had left. _

_I was left facing off with the girl._

"_Lower your stake Guardian. I'm not here to cause you any harm, despite what you're thinking." Her voice called out, soft yet strong and one hundred per cent American. _

"_Why should I trust you, Strigoi?" Scorn dripped off like acid. I saw her visibly flinch at my words, making me become curious, as she stepped closer to me. Still in the shadows but out of the dawning light. She wasn't as pale as most Strigoi, more like a Moroi paleness, but her eyes and fangs said differently. _

_You could tell she hadn't been "awakened" for very long since she didn't bother keeping her fangs hidden._

"_I know you shouldn't trust me but if I was a normal Strigoi I would have attacked you by now." She said, placing a hand on her jutted out hip. She did have a point._

"_So, please tell, why you haven't yet." I relax slightly as the warmth from the sun hits me. She can't reach me now, since the sun is up in the sky. To prove that, she shy's away from it, a little deeper into the shadows she moves._

"_I don't find your blood appealing." I raise an eyebrow at that but she continues. "I also wish for your help." My other eyebrow went to join the first. I was intrigued by what she said though._

"_Help with what?"_

"_I want Strigoi, but I can't just pick off those I have with me. I need you help with the night club you work at. Every night I want you to keep tabs of how many Strigoi enter into the building. I promise not to harm you or anyone inside there, just the Strigoi."_

"_How would I know you'll keep your word?" I challenged._

"_Because, like you, I'm a Guardian. Well, was up until a few hours ago. I was going to be great but that arsehole, Blondie, had to change me. Now... Now I want to wipe them all out, to make sure no one has to go through want I did." Her words shocked me because they sounded true. They held malice but not at the first sentence, there her eyes held longing. I looked at her closely, taking her in now that I could see her properly._

_She really was pretty, beautiful more like it. Going past the features of a killer; her skin was slightly tanned, hair a dark –almost black- brown hair. It was almost like my own, except mine had auburn running through it and a shade lighter. Her eyes, looking past the red, were a deep and dark brown. Almost identical to mine. Her hips were wider then most Dhampir women, bustier too._

"_Who, exactly, are you?" I speak my curiosity._

"_Rose. Rose Hathaway." I take a step back. The infamous Rosemarie Hathaway, daughter of legendary Janine Hathaway, who supposedly was going to be a legend herself. Hell, she already was one, having received two molnija marks before finishing her trials. "Who, may I ask, are you?" She smiled at me, trying to hide her fangs._

"_Stephaniel Donahugh." _

"_Well, I'm going to call you Steve if you don't mind. I never had a thing for big names." She smiles, it held no evil or coldness, it was a pure good hearted smile. I trusted her for some strange reason, as I stepped closer to the shadow, holding out my hand so she could grab hold. She hesitated at first but attentively reached out, gripping my hand with an iron like grip. _

"_Well, Rose. I think we're in business together." I smirked at her, teasing her slightly. She only smirked back, tightening her hold to an almost painful vice._

"_I guess so... Stevey."_

I still had the car for those of you who are wondering. Running beautifully too, perfect as the day I found it.

Now, I'm getting off course.

It struck me strangely that she hasn't shown up. She's normally here. My eyes casted up to the rising sun in the east, the faintest hits of morning rays slivering through the heavy clouding. Suddenly a brilliant white light shone over the mountains, momentarily blinding me.

After a while I opened my eyes again, the sun casting a pink shade across the sky. I was confused, that wasn't anything normal. I had to make a quick decision because I knew it was Rose that, that light had appeared from. How, I don't know, I just knew.

I closed my eyes, taking in a deep breath before jumping into my car, sliding easily over the black leather seats, starting the engine before revving off towards the one place I knew for sure Rose would appear.

St. Vladimir's Academy.

**Rose**

Slowly, as if too frightened of myself, I once again approached the girl in the white dress. This time though she was outside, a garden of jade grass covering the floor, creating a soft pillow for her feet. Everywhere flowers bloomed, various colours blending together almost creating a colour of their own.

She looked, almost, exactly the same. This time however; her flowing, waving mane of dark hair was twisted into a French braid, starting from the centre and heading to the side, behind one of her ears. It was longer then mine, this being the first time I had actually had a chance to get a good look at her. Yet again, her skin glowed. Vibrant, dazzling but slightly off, like the glow wasn't as strong as before.

"Rose, are you going to just star at me the whole time or, are you going to actually talk?" Her voice was soft like before, but held a darker edge.

"Lilac, wha-" I was cut off by her laughter, darker then I would have thought for someone like her.

"You think I'm Lilac?" I only nodded, causing her to laugh yet again. "How priceless!" I fisted my hands at the side of my body.

"Then who the fuck are you?" She smirked, evilly.

"Zinnia. Zinnia Stingere." Was all she said. The name sounded Romanian but I couldn't be sure. Her last name though, that sounded oddly close to Strigoi.

"And?"

"And what? I have told you all I will at the moment." She turned, making me gasp. No wonder she wasn't as vibrant as Lilac. Her skin was paler, way more paler then a Moroi, with menacing long fangs –longer then Strigoi- and bloody red eyes.

She was Strigoi.

"What are you doing in me?" I growled out, taking a fighters stance. This caused her to laugh, cold and menacing.

"Because I am now a big part of you, like Lilac is a big part of you." This confused me, making me relax ever so slightly, straightening to my full height.

"How so?" She smirked.

"If you have looked at us both you would see the difference."

"Uh, I have had a look at both of you. You're both me, only you're Strigoi and she's… Not." I replied, getting more confused by the second.

"Doesn't take a genius to figure that out," her reply came as she rolled her eyes. "You're divided."

"What the fuck do you mean 'divided'?" I shouted, almost to the point of hysteria. Zinnia's smirk became broader.

"I can't reveal all now because you're starting to awake." Her words faded but her smirk did not as I was left in pitch black.

**Dimitri**

She lay there, still and pale, like a Strigoi. I couldn't bare to look at her, to see her shifting into this monster, yet I couldn't look away. The monitor would beep every few minutes, slower then normal, and every second felt agonizing. My heart was being pulled by numerous strings, in different directions but one thing was as clear as day; She was still my Roza.

"Dimitri?" A soft, almost angelic voice flittered to me. I turned, seeing Vasilisa for the first time since Rose had been put on that bed.

"Yes, Princess?" She cringed a little.

"Lissa. And, maybe, you should just let her go..." It took a while for the words to sink in. _Let her go?_ She had to be insane to even recommend that. I stood up, the chair I was sitting on falling to the ground.

"I can't Lissa, I don't think I ever can." I didn't realise it but tears were falling down my cheeks. She sighed.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't be thinking like that."

"No, don't be. I shouldn't have snapped at you like that." She nodded, accepting my apology. Right at that moment a violent gasp broke the silence.

I turned around, looking down on the infirmary bed. Rose was sitting upright, hands clutching the bars with a fierce grip; crushing the metal between her hands.

"Roza?" I whispered as she blinked a few times.

"D-Dim-Dimitri?" She stuttered out, voice hoarse.

"Shh, Roza. You are okay now, safe here with me." I moved to besides her, wrapping my arms around her softly, allowing her to bury her head in my chest.

"W-What happened?" She asked, looking up into my eyes. I was momentarily shocked.

The beautiful brown irises were shaded in purple and red, the fading sun making all three colours dance and glimmer. An eerie yet vaguely familiar shine in each of the colours, making me lost in them which explained why I couldn't hear what Rose kept asking me.

"Sorry, can you please repeat that Roza?" A small smile flittered across her face at her Russian name.

"I asked what happened." It was a simple question, yet it was one I didn't know the answer to. Her soft, angelic voice was almost to normal once again.

"It's a little hard to explain." Running a hand across the back of my neck as I replied.

"Then, just tell me what you know." I sighed, of course she would ask this.

"Y-You flat lined out there Rose. You were dead for a while before they got you in here, everyone thought you were dead and had no chance of survival. Some even said that we should just let you go but I'm lucky Dr Olendzki didn't listen to anyone bar Alberta, Lissa and myself." She nodded, taking it all in. It surprised me how calm she was taking this in.

"So, I died… Again?" Her voice was smooth and calm, a soothing lullaby to my ears.

"Yes."

"Then how the hell am I alive now? Did Liss heal me again?" Her voice rose this time, going one pitch higher.

"No. She wasn't allowed to, not with all the healings she did during the attack." We both winced at the memory, her more so then me. It was quiet for a while until a few sobs broke the silence. I looked over at her, head in her hands with her dark brown hair made a curtain, obscuring her beautiful face.

"Oh, Roza." I whisper, wrapping her up in my arms, holding her as close as I could. "I won't let anything else happen to you, I swear it." I whisper into her hair, running a hand down her back as she clutched my shirt, tears falling against the fabric.

We stayed like that for a while, holding each other close until a knock at the door made us look over at it.

"Sorry to interrupt but there is something that you need to know Rose."

**Sorry it took to long everyone but I haven't been feeling too well. I know, this seems like the perfect time to write but I've been sleeping for excess amounts of time with a sore stomach.**

**Okay, I haven't had many reviews so I can't pick a favourite reviewer this time but there is going to be a question;**

**What do you think Zinnia, Lilac and Steve have to do with the story?**

**I would really like to hear what you think of these three characters. **

**I'll give you little hints though;**

**Zinnia; She appears when the Light takes over Rose.**

**Lilac; Shows when Darkness covers Rose, taking into a violent place.**

**Steve; This Rose looks, strangely like him.**

**Thanks for everyone who has reviewed and/or read this story.**

**Love Guardian Rayne**


	12. Chapter 12: A Quick Meeting

_I'll Love You For Eternity_

"_Sorry to interrupt but there is something that you need to know Rose."_

**Rose **

"Sorry to interrupt but there is something that you need to know Rose." One of the nurses said as she walked into my room, wary of me by her nervousness.

"What is it?" Her eyes flittered between me, the clipboard and the floor before she finally answered.

"We found four different types of DNA in your system Rose." Well, that didn't sound to-

"WHAT!" I shouted, sitting up straight. She flinched from the harshness of my voice.

"W-Well… We found y-your DNA along with three others…" Her voice went up a little higher with each word. My eyes closed as my back slumped against the bed.

**(Hehe, I bet you were thinking she was pregnant!)**

"Anything else?" She shook her head. "Have you figured out who's other DNA is in me?"

"It's your DNA still Rose. Just altered a little with each phase in which we extracted blood."

"When did you extract blood in different phases?" I was curious since there would have been only two times that they would have had a chance. When I was a Dhampir and now.

"You're original blood test from a week before the battle, nothing really showed any difference, a slight darkish tint to it but nothing too bad. Just before we took another one, this one though... Had four different DNA codes." She paused, waiting to see if I wanted to continue. I grabbed Dimitri's hand tighter, pretty sure I cut off circulation to his hand.

"Just keep going."

"Well... If we split your blood work into a pie chart; one quarter is your own untouched and normal blood, a second quarter is lighter and more airy for blood work. The third is darker, holding a more Strigoi like substance to it. The fourth, well, we've never seen anything like it." Her words died off near the end.

She left at that moment, giving both Dimitri and I some time alone. Well, for a split second before Lissa came bursting in.

"ROSE!" She screamed, launching herself at me, throat close to my mouth. I stopped breathing; knowing I was hungry and that I could lash out at anyone. Luckily she pulled away but kept me at arm's length. "I thought you were dead." She sobbed before wrapping me back up in a hug. It took all I had not to push her away... Or drink her blood.

"Liss, I love you to but please, let me go." My voice was strained but only a little, not enough to worry her.

"Oh, sorry Rose." She pulled back with a small smile.

"It's okay..." I trailed off, knowing that it wasn't really. I was dealing with even bigger changes now, having to deal with having my relationship with Dimitri out there and putting up with others calling me a Strigoi.

"How are you feeling?" She asked, eyes worried. I only nod, smiling, but she wasn't having any of that. She pinned me with a hard look, tapping her foot.

"Fine. I'm good. A little hungry but nothing I can't deal with." She raised an eyebrow. Damn! Could everyone do that _besides _me!

Dimitri, sensing the need for us to be alone, made some excuse about needing to leave. That left both Lissa and I alone in the infirmary room.

"So... What's up with you now?" She asked, curiosity getting the better of her. At first I kept quiet, bitting my lip to stay that way. I knew I'd have to tell her soon, Hell, I'd have to tell everyone soon anyway. In submission, I sighed.

"I'm not up to anything right now." She glared at me.

"You know what I mean!"

"I'm a Strihampir."

"Strihampir?" I nod, looking up into her jade green eyes.

"I've dubbed myself that. Since there's no one else like me out there I gave myself a name. Strihampir, a mix of Strigoi and Dhampir." I said, making it sound like the most obvious thing in the world. Her eyes were just looking off into mine, a little confusion in them.

"Rose, how did this happen?"

_Seriously? She should know how this happened._

"I was turned, or tried to be at least. Dimitri and my mum were watching when it happened. It just... Didn't go according to their plan." I looked out the corner of my eye seeing Dimitri's head in hung low, eyes covered by his shoulder length brown hair.

We continued talking for a while until a knock was heard at the door. I looked over to the clock, seeing that nearly two hours had passed since I woke up in the infirmary.

"Rosemarie?" The same nurses' voice asked, a little shaky.

"Yeah, I'm here. Still" I added under my breath, causing Lissa to laugh.

"There's someone here to see you..." She trailed off, opening the door to show a tallish figure. His hair shining the colour of maroon in the light, skin two shades darker than my own and eyes the colour of chocolate.

"Rosie..." Was all he said and at that moment I knew who he was.

"Stevey!" I almost shouted, jumping right out if the hard, plastic like sheets surrounding the bed. Our bodies were slammed together as we both enveloped each other in a fierce hug.

"What happened? I saw a light and I, somehow, knew it was you." He whispered, face buried in my hair.

"I don't know. Not really anyway. I remember voices, a flash of light and then I remember t-" I stopped myself. No one should know about Zinnia or Lilac and no one will. For now at the very least. "Wait, what are you doing here?" I pulled away, keeping him in arms length. His chuckle was low and very deep.

"I came here to find you. When you didn't show up at the club I knew something had happened. It wasn't until I saw the light that I realised that you were hurt," he pulled me back into a hug, his grip a little tighter. We were silent for a few moments before a feminine throat cleared.

"Uh, Rose, who's this?" Lissa asked, her head flickering between the two of us.

"This is Stevey. He's a bodyguard for a club I hunted at." Stevey bowed to Lissa.

Obviously he knew who she was.

"Princess, it's an honour to meet you." Lissa blushed as he took her hand in his, brushing her knuckles with his lips.

"Please, call me Lissa."

"Alright then... Lissa." His smile was heartbreakingly good. I would have said man-eater if it weren't for the fact that he's a guy. I also would have been fawning over it if I wasn't in love with Dimitri.

As it was, I could feel Lissa's heartbeat quickening through the bond.

"Stevey, quiet giving her a heart attack." I rolled my eyes as he stood up, arm going around my shoulder and kissing the crown of my head.

"Sorry Rosie. You know how I am with gorgeous young ladies." He sent a wink in both mine and Lissa's directions, causing us both to giggle like four year olds.

"Rose." The deep, sensuous voice came from besides the bed that I was lying in only a scarce few minutes ago.

"Oh, Dimitri. This is Stevey. Dimitri this is-"

"Dimitri Belikov. You're mentor and lover. Born in Russia before moving to America to guard the last Dragomir when his past charge was killed," Stevey interrupted with a smirk.

_Smart ass_.

"You and you're fucking contacts." I muttered. He had contacts all over the world, one being a high rank mobster while another being the Queen herself. How he got these connections, I'll never understand.

_Rose... Dimitri's aura is going crazy._ Lissa sent through the bond, while she tried not to laugh. I skipped out of Stevey's arm, only to wrap my own around Dimitri's waist.

"Don't worry. We're just friends. He helped me out when we met; nothing's going on between us." He seemed to accept this, pulling me closer to him. This caused Stevey to laugh.

"Don't worry Belikov. I knew she was taken when I met her. She never stops talking about you anyway." This sent a blush to my cheeks as I buried my head in his chest.

"Thank god for that." He whispered, only enough for me to hear.

**Woo! Chapter 12 is now done! I'm so happy! **

**As I'm sure some of you have read, I'm having a contest. Become a permanent member of the new story –which will be posted at anytime of the day on any day. **

**Haven't done this for a while but; time for FR! (Favourite Reviewer). **

**This chapter is: D. Kelly**

**Looking through my reviews I have noticed that she comments first when the new posts are up. **

**Time for the questions:**

**What country (besides Russia) should Dimitri and Rose visit? What would they do while there?**

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter and yes, I do know it's short but I'll make the next twice the length if I get... 10 reviews.**

**~ Guardian Rayne **


	13. Chapter 13: Revelations

**As I promised, this chapter will be extra long, because I received the 10 reviews. And, sorry the change here, but I realised the story didn't flow well enough when I wrote down 3 days since Rose was turned. So, it's been a month. Sorry for the confusion.**

**Haven't done this in a while but: Disclaimer. **

**I do not own any characters mentioned in the series Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead. I, however, do own Stevey, Anthony and Talia.**

_I'll Love You For Eternity_

"_Thank god for that." He whispered, only enough for me to hear._

**Nobody's POV**

"So, Stevey, how did you and Rose meet?" Lissa asked, flipping her straight blonde hair over her shoulder so it wouldn't get in her face, while both Rose and Stevey gave each other a look.

"Well, it's not that interesting," Stephaniel started, grinning lazily at the Dragomir princess, before Rose took over.

"I found him while I was out on my first hunt," Rose's mind reverted back to that night a month ago, to her it seemed like years but in reality it was only a month.

_*Roses flashback, in Rose POV*_

_They gathered around me seeing me as their new weapon, their new member of their undead army. I was nothing but a pawn to them, not a person or an equal, someone younger and –what they deemed- weaker then themselves. _

_I was to be used and nothing more to it. _

_But I followed them as we sped past the trees, at a blinding speed. I couldn't even tell if my feet were touching the floor at times, like I was just going through the motions while I flew, but my subconscious always knew. Just like it knew that Lissa was trying so hard to be strong when she felt like she could break down at any minute._

"_Rosie-Wosie," a malicious and dark voice called out to me. Anthony was his name –or 'my lover' as he dubbed himself, as if I would touch him though. His eyes –if you removed the red ring- were olive green, a dirty colour on him, hair that would but night to shame. "Time to make your first kill." _

_His taunts did nothing to me though; I was past a taunting point. Nothing really hit me, unless they talked ill of my friends. _

_The sun was rising quickly as we neared the club that the others had talked about, only it was shut with a lone Dhampir moving to his car. I had to admit, the car did look a lot better then the Dhampir._

"_What if I don't want a Dhampir," I hissed back, under a soft breath that I knew only a Strigoi could hear, "what if I want Moroi blood? I want –no crave –Dragomir blood Anthony." I purred the last part for his benefit more than mine. Even though I found all Strigoi repulsive I put on an act. In the few hours since me being turned –I was so not 'awakened' –Anthony had already flirted with me nonstop, even trying to pressure me into having sex with him. The nerve of him. _

_He told me things though, things that someone of 'my rank' shouldn't know about. Apparently there were ranks when Strigoi dealt with each other. The King –or Queen-, or leader, lead and gathered the Strigoi while his Bounties and Gestures went in search of 'recruits'. I was called a 'Blood Mongrel' because apparently when a Strigoi was normally turned they thirsted for nothing more then the blood. We were the front line of the armies, the first wave that the Leader sent out, because we were expendable and easy to find. _

_Since I was a 'Blood Mongrel' I shouldn't actually know what the plans are. Anthony was higher rank then I –but was not a Bounty nor a Gesture- so he knew bits and pieces, and since I was supposed to be his bride he would tell me anything. _

_Sometimes being in fake love came in handy._

_With a sigh Anthony continued, "I know my little bud, you thirst for those closest to you, those with higher stands often taste the sweetest but you must know how to kill first. You can't just walk up to a fully trained Guardian and expect to kill him, you'll most likely get hurt in the process, and I can't let that happen to my bride."_

_I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at him, "fine, this once though." I rustled the leaves on the tall bush, spreading them open to get a look at the Dhampir. _

_He was on the short side, yet taller then me by a quarter on a foot. He was well built, muscles packed onto him like a body builder, while his auburn/brown hair was styled in a messy I-just-had-great-sex way. His skin was tan and smooth, no freckle in sight. While his eyes looked like mine, only lighter. _

_His head turned fully in my direction as I took a step from the bushes, still in shadows though. He was at the door of his slick red car, I actually wanted to steal it but I wouldn't because it would be wrong. His slightly delicate hand reached into the pocket of his coat, pulling out a stake as Anthony talked._

"_Go ahead Rosie... Make your first kill on this Dhampir."_

_"__You can leave. I can handle him by myself. I don't need back up," I half snapped, half spoke to him and the nine others. Out of the hundred or so that had attacked St. Vlad's only 10 had made it out alive –well, undead technically –which is really surprising. From what I gathered we had barely lost any –except a few teachers, Guardians and myself –but only 10 Strigoi made it alive, that had to be a great win on our side._

_Talia rolled her eyes._

"_Why? Don't you want to share?" she asked, knowing full well that Strigoi never share a kill. She was younger then Anthony but only four days older than me._

_I looked behind me, glaring deadly at her. Soon after they all left and I was left alone with the Dhampir._

"_Lower your stake Guardian. I'm not here to cause you any harm, despite what you're thinking." _

_*Yeah, you know what happens from there*_

"Basically, you met at a club?" Lissa said, voice holding a trace of humour.

"Technically it was outside a club in a parking lot," Rose replied, smiling innocently –which might have worked, except that her fangs were showing. Lissa shivered at the sight of them.

"I don't think I could ever get used to those on you, Rose," her voice was a little shy, as if she was scared to set Rose off. She could never do that though. No matter what, Rose could never get angry at Lissa, they'd been sisters for so long.

"Yeah, same here and I'm the one with them, but we have the same sized fangs-"

"Not true, when you get angry Rosie, they grow." Stephaniel added, smirking. Rose glared at him playfully.

"Then why aren't they now?" She teased, knowing full well why they weren't.

"Because one, you're not mad and two, you love me too much to get angry at me," he had a cocky grin, looking straight at the girl who looked eerily like him.

Dimitri, however, stiffened at their playful banter. He trusted Rose when she said nothing had gone on between them, but couldn't shake the feeling that there was something between the two.

He looked between them, trying to see anything that was hidden.

Hair that almost matched each others, expect for slight differences such as length the slight colouring. Eyes that were the same, with the same mischievous gleam, covered with the same amount of thick black lashes. Faces the same heart shape with the same flawless almond skin.

They were almost identical yet they were their own person, as anyone could obviously see, but they were the same. Somehow these two different people were one of the same.

The atmosphere though suggested something different. Like these two were only half the puzzle pieces needed before they were whole. It made no sense since Rose was an only child, and it puzzled Dimitri immensely as he tried to figure out what was going on between her and Stephaniel.

The laughter of Lissa and Rose broke his thoughts.

"Stevey, she is taken. You can't hit in her," Rose exclaimed, hitting him on the shoulder.

"Oh, mon ami comment vous me dérange pas!" He said in French, a very recognizable language.

Lissa understood though, for she had learnt French while on the run for two years. Rose, using the bond, understood them as well.

"Vous savez le français, Stephaniel?" Lissa replied, wonder in her voice and eyes.

"Oui," was his reply, nodding which caused his messy brown/auburn hair to fall in front of his eyes.

While Dimitri tried to sort out his thoughts, Lissa was calculating hers.

Something was very strange with Stephaniel and not just the normal strange. It was like they were connected but had no idea as to why. There was just something about the way they looked, acted and talked that made things a little weird. If that wasn't enough, their aura's almost exactly matched. Whereas Rose's had black swirling over her like a second skin, Stephaniel though had some black but only enough to pass off as a coincidence.

But Lissa didn't think it was.

"So, how long are you going to stay for?" Rose asked, grinning like a child who just entered the candy store. She liked Stevey for some unknown reason, maybe because they thought so much alike, and she couldn't find it in herself to get angry at him no matter what.

"Well, I'm thinking of finishing my senior year with you guys, maybe become an official Guardian," was the reply he gave as he ran his hand through his hair, pushing it back into place, pushing his black long sleeve to push up, revealing flame-like tribal tattoos.

Thick black cuffs around the wrist before moving up the forearm, looking like three black claw marks, before disappearing behind the shirt once more.

'Whoa, those are awesome," Rose murmured, half hypnotized by the patterns. The seemed to scream to her, calling her to touch them, but she refrained from even staring at them. "How long have you had those done?" She hadn't seen them before now.

"To be honest, I have no idea how I got them." He got questioning looks from all three in the room, "well, I've never seen them before. I drove here in my car, sensing Rose was in pain, and then I felt this... searing feeling crept through my blood before this showed up."

At everyone's still confused looks Stephaniel just shrugged, since he himself had no idea on what else to say.

Rose shook herself out of the confusion, trying to focus on the answer to the question.

"Wait, so you're going to get your promise mark?" He nodded. "With us?" He nodded once more before Rose let out a soft squeal, launching herself at him, arms enveloping around his neck in a bone crunching hug.

She didn't realize that her enhanced strength from being a half Strigoi was being used; crushing him in what would break normal Dhampir bones. He didn't notice though, it just seemed like a semi-normal hug. What he didn't know though, was that his bones had gotten stronger when the tattoo's boiled themselves into his skin, giving him a slightly higher than normal strength for a Dhampir. It wasn't near Rose's full potential if she wanted to hack into it, but it would beat a normal Strigoi faster.

"So, you want me to stay?" The conversation seemed to only be between the two as the princess and Dimitri watched the pair interact.

"Of course! You were my friend for a month Stevey! And besides, I want to see how well you can fight."

A sudden thought popped into Rose's head. She might not actually be accepted back, since she was technically labelled dead for a month, or she could be classified as a target; a rogue Strigoi that only deserves to be killed.

Right now, she wasn't even a student. She was still dead.

"Rose? Rose? You still there?" Lissa mused, waving a delicate hand in front of her best friends face.

"Huh? Oh, ah, yeah... I'm still here," was the genius reply that escaped from Rose's lips. In truth, she wasn't. Her mind was a jumble of worry and confusion.

_I'm not a student anymore, can't protect Lissa. I'm a traitor, dead, unnatural... Strigoi._

Her skin, if possible, went paler –to a sheet white –while her body went ridged. Her life that was half planned out for her was ruined. She couldn't protect her best friend, someone who gave her life after the car accident, someone she promised she would always be there for.

Sure, she was here now but what about the next day? A Guardian could stake here while she lay dazed during the day.

Many people would think that Strigoi wouldn't sleep but some do, mostly the really younger and freshly turned ones. The older, more powerful ones could stay awake during the daylight hours but became dazed. The last one applied to Rose, but she was stronger than most that lay awake.

"Rose!" Stephaniel called out, shaking her shoulders.

"Huh?"

"You spaced out and lost even more colour."

"Oh," what else could she say? Certainly not what was going on in her mind.

Dimitri pulled Rose down, back onto the infirmary bed, before wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Roza, it's going to be okay." His lips placed a soft, tender kiss against her temple. Of course, he had no idea what it was but he tired to give as much comfort as possible.

It seemed to be working as the little colour she had returned to her skin, her posture relaxing.

"What were you thinking of Roza?" He whispered, rubbing relaxing little circles into her skin at her thigh.

A shiver tore down her spine, feeling the heat from Dimitri's chest pressed against her spine.

"Oh, uh, nothing. Just a little thought that appeared in my head," none of the three believed it for a second, but they let it go for now.

Just at that moment, country music started to play around the room. They all looked at Dimitri; having a feeling it was his phone being rung. It turned out to be true.

"Hello?" A pause to anyone else listening, while the voice rang out loudly from the receiver.

"Belikov, warn Rose that I'll be appearing soon."

"Yes, ma'am." The conversation was left at that.

"Who was that Comrade?" Rose asked, more than a little curious.

"You'll see very-" He was cut off by the door opening, to reveal a short red headed Dhampir woman.

"Rosemarie," a curt nod.

"Mother," Rose replied with a blank expression while, at the same time, Stephaniel stared mouth open at Janine Hathaway.

"Mom?" Janine's head turned to Stephaniel's direction as he spoke.

"Stephaniel?"

"Wait, how do you know Stevey?" Rose asked, a little bewildered that her mother knew a friend of hers that wasn't royal. "Actually, a better question would be why he called you his mother."

This seemed to make the normally in control Guardian to freeze up, not sure what to say.

She never thought the two of them would end up seeing each other, or any of them to be honest. She hoped to who-ever would listen that wouldn't happen.

"Well Rosemarie, Stephaniel... Meet your twin." Was her only explanation, the only one she was really giving at this time.

The twins heads turned to face each other, taking each other in to see if it was a lie from their mothers lips.

"My twin!" The both exclaimed, identical brown eyes widen in shock.

**Mwahaha! I'm going to be evil and stop it there. It is actually longer than the other chapters and took about three days to type.**

**So, the mysterious question; what's with Stephaniel. Well, you found out. He is Rose's twin.**

**I have two FR's today;**

**xx Dimitri kills Edward xx**

**My-Darkest-Angel**

**I loved their reviews and names!**

**Question time!**

**What is their (Rose and Stevey's) reaction going to be to this?**

**Here's a little twist too; 3 faithful reviewers will receive a name each. These names are special. If all three reviewers guess correctly what these names are for then I'll post the secrets to them... If not, then they live in shame for not knowing and letting down everyone else. **

**So, get reviewing to be a winner!**

**Yours in Eternity**

** Guardian Rayne.**

**P.S. Sorry for not updating sooner!**


	14. Chapter 14: A Call

**Hey everyone! Sorry about not updating sooner but I was waiting for replies. **

**Disclaimer: I, nor any of you I'm guessing, do not own Vampire Academy, the characters or plots. I, however, do own Stevey. **

**Stevey: Yeah baby! You own me good!  
Me: *blushes* Stevey!  
Stevey: What? Did I say something bad? *smiles innocently***

**Me: No-yes-I don't know! Just be good!  
Stevey: But you like me better when I'm bad *winks***

**Me: *groans* Stevey!**

_Last time on I'll Love You For Eternity:_

_"My twin!" The both exclaimed, identical brown eyes widen in shock._

**Janine POV (because I'm cool like that)**

Never in a million years would I thought that they would meet. They were so much alike it was shocking and terrifying at the same time.

But now... now they were looking at each other in awe, wonder and love.

_Already? Did they already love each other?_

Then they both turned to me. They looked so much like their father it hurt me to look at them. Hurt to even talk to them. Now though I wanted to be a part of their lives.

"How could you not tell me I had a twin?" They both shouted in a perfect unison, sounding almost exactly the same.

I refused to look them in the eyes, instead looking at the blank white wall of the infirmary.

"We two weren't going to meet. You're father and I decided it was best that way, sending you both to different Academies and having no knowledge of each other. Growing up still not knowing each other, we hoped," I sighed, eyes closing shut for a moment before reopening them, "but it looks as if fate had other plans."

They were silent but you could feel their anger rolling off in waves, burning like a mighty fire.

Belikov and Princess Vasilisa were looking on awkwardly, a little worried too. Wether that was for them or everyone else was unknown.

"But, we still should be told," Rose started off before being interrupted by Stephaniel.

"That we share DNA with someone," Rose joined him as they chorused the last line, like true twins.

"Other than you." Yep, like true spoken twins.

"It wasn't just my idea, dears, it was also your fathers. We thought it was better to split your guys up and see which one would become the better Guardian."

"Well, that obviously hadn't worked." Both Rose and Stephaniel rolled their eyes as they said his, crossing their arms over their chests.

"I dropped out to help protect people from Strigoi in a nightclub," Stephaniel started.

"And I was turned," Rose said coolly, causing me to flinch.

Some have a daughter who stays out all night drinking; others have a nymph for a daughter. I have one that was training to kill evil vampires before getting turned into one herself, what makes that worse is the fact that that daughter had a grudge against you for years.

"I know, and you don't know how worried for both of you I was."

Rose rolled her eyes once more. "Oh yeah, how worried about your reputation you were when you daughter was turned before your very eyes. Never mind the fact that she _is _your daughter."

"It was nothing about my reputation Rose. It was about the both of you. Stephaniel dropped out a year ago and I never heard anything from him, I was worried that he may have been killed or turned. And you, Rose I was worried about _you_, not some reputation. I was worried that one day _I _might have to kill my own daughter and no mother wants to do that, not even when they think they could be an evil vampire." My eyes riveted to look at my children, trying to put as much love and sorrow in my expression.

No matter how I had treated them, no matter that I dropped them off and gave them the cold shoulder, I'll always love them.

Stephaniel was the one who gave in and sighed. "Mom, I'm sorry I didn't turn out the way you wanted."

"Why the hell are you apologising to her!" Rose interrupted.

"Because, no matter what Rose, she is our mother and you know you love her deep down."

"Yeah, deep deep down in the darkest part of my heart."

"Roza, you know that isn't true." Belikov interrupted. I was still on rocky ground with him after finding out that he and my underage daughter had a relationship. Or should I say have?

"Dimitri," she whined, "she left me here, alone, not bothering to tell me I have a twin and didn't even contact me to say happy birthday. Not even a letter." That took me back a little.

"That's not true. I sent you a letter every year on your birthday, on both of your birthdays. I never missed a year. I even sent small gifts along with it for Christmas too."

"Right, like I believe you."

"Rosie, she's right. On my birthday I got a letter, a little gift wrapped up in it," Stephaniel then reached into his shirt, pulling out the charm I had sent him.

It was a necklace that only a Hathaway descendant could wear, and since only five were every created every generation I had gotten them instead of my sister and brothers.

It was made entirely out of silver, a blade about an inch long had the symbol for infinite love near the handle, a Luckenbooth thistle in the centre surrounded by a heart. A small crown was up the top. A very thin charmed silver chain went through the small hilt. If you turned it over, you could see jigsaw like pieces that connected all five tips together from blade point. **(A/N: a picture of the blade will be posted but it was originally a pin, not a necklace.) **

Rose's eyes seemed fixated on the charm, something small yet large at the same time.

"How come I never got one," her voice dropped a little, like what use to happen when she was younger and didn't get a donut.

"I did send it to you, Rose. I swear I did. On both your tenth birthdays, I sent a card a week in advance so you'd get it on the day, a small red box with it."

She shook her head; eyes flittered from the warm brown to a deadly red. "No, never had I got anything from you." Venom was in her words as she spoke them.

"Rosemarie, I swear I did. I have things to prove it."

"And I got mine on our tenth birthday. Why would she send one and not the other?" Stephaniel interrupted, trying to sooth his sister. It seemed to be working as she visibly relaxed, eyes slowly residing to the birth brown.

"Yeah... I still don't get why I didn't get anything though." She sighed, fiddling with her hands as she sat besides Belikov.

I wanted to glare at him for falling in love with my daughter but I was hardly one to contradict whom should fall in love with whom.

Look at myself; I had fallen in love with a mobster at the young age of seventeen, falling pregnant at nineteen. I wanted to get rid of the little creatures growing inside me, but he had convinced me to at least give birth to the little hellions.

I smiled softly at the memory before whipping it off my face, hoping no one had noticed it. Looking around, I saw that no one did.

"Maybe they just, lost it in the mailing room?" Princess Vasilisa said calmly, smiling reassuringly at her friend.

"Yeah... Maybe." Her voice sounded a little deflated, so I chose this time as my exit.

"Rosemarie, Stephaniel," they both turned their heads in my direction. "If you want to chat, I'll be in my room around guest housing." They nodded, smiling gently.

I gave a smile of my own, heading out the infirmary door. Silently I made my way across the yards, heading straight to the room I had claimed for my own for the past month and a bit.

It was nothing big, but nothing too plain.

The walls were a calming ivory, having one feature wall besides the head of the wrought iron bed. It wasn't a colour that stood out a lot, being a soft peachy colour, but it added just a splash of colour on the otherwise colourless walls. The bed had a grey spread; the blanket had soft yet warm colours. Mostly white, cream and soft grey.

Walking in, I sat down on the black couch, laying myself out with a sigh as a daze of memories flittered through my mind.

_*Flashback*_

_He stood there, as if waiting for something to come along and hunt him down. I never understood why he always had that expression on, the one that told the world he didn't care what they say or thought of him. _

_His little goatee had been growing a little and his ear had gained an earring but he was still the handsome, caring man I know. Despite his looks and attitude, underneath the expensive outfits he was as soft as a feather. _

"_Jan, how are you love?" He said with a smile on his face while he walked up to me and grabbed my shoulders gently. He leaned in close to peck my cheek in a loving gesture._

_I beamed, gazing up into his eyes that shone every time he saw me, like I was the sun he craved to see daily._

_Then I remembered what I was about to tell him._

"_Abe, I have something to tell you." My voice was grave in tone. This was something that could –no, would ruin my life as a Guardian. _

"_What is it Jan?" his brows furrowed as he looked at me, slightly oblivious to my slightly showing stomach._

_Swallowing nothing but air I released in a shallow whisper. "I'm pregnant."_

_He went absolutely silent, staring at me with curious eyes. The gold stud in his ear gleamed from the side of his head. His smiling expression disappeared from his face, a totally neutral expression taking over._

"_Y-You're p-pregnant?" Abe stuttered, the first time I had ever seen him do that._

_He loved danger, that was one of the things that had turned me on to him, and facing it was no problem for him. He could laugh in the face of a Strigoi –which I'm pretty sure he has done already –or stand up to the Queen with the most cockiest attitude. But this, when I mention I'm pregnant, was something that made him flabbergasted. _

_I only nodded, trying to rein his emotions._

_All of a sudden a brilliant and bright smile crossed his male Moroi face. His arms went right around me, lifting me up and spinning me around in circles. He was surprisingly strong for a Moroi, and to be picking up a Dhampir showed a lot of strength._

"_We're going to be parents! I cannot believe this!" Abe said enthusiastically. Oh god, he's going to make me the bad guy._

"_Ibrahim, put me down, I'm not done yet."_

"_How could you not be done yet? You've just told you're pregnant, with my child, there is no way there could be anything else. Unless it's twins, or triplets, oh god maybe quadruplets-" I clamped my hand across his lips, giving him a stern glance._

"_Abe, I'm not having them."This seemed to shut him up immediately._

"_What?" Except it sounded more like a "mwat" since my hand was covering his lips._

"_I'm going to have an abortion. I can't have them, I'm barely out of the Academy and I want to start guarding as soon as I'm out. I can't do that while I'm pregnant," my voice dropped a little. Even though I didn't want children now I've secretly always wanted to be a mother. _

_Abe looked at me with wide, almost pleading eyes. "T-Tell me that you're joking Janine. Please tell me you are," he seemed to beg but I knew he wouldn't even stoop that low for anyone._

_I shook my head, not having the courage to say it aloud. _

"_Then kill me along with it, for surely, killing a being of mine would be like killing me too," his tone and expression was of pain, his eyes watering slightly. Yep, he was going to make me the bad guy._

"_Ibrahim, I love you, you know that right... I just can't have a child right now." _

"_I suppose you're right. It would ruin your career." He smiled softly, pecking my cheek. "Now, if that is all you have to say, I have to go. My father wants me to go see a business meeting with him. I'll be back soon my love." _

_Then, after giving me another quick peck on my cheek, he left. Leaving me alone in the grounds, hearing the faint steps of his shoes before they disappeared all together._

_*Time skip*_

_A week had passed since I had told Abe I was pregnant with his child. Inwardly I was wondering what they would have been like when they grew up. _

_Would they have his eyes? My hair? Boy or girl? _

_The questions kept pouring into my head, some not even having answers. Yet, the one thing that I did not change was the fact that I needed to have the abortion._

_I had no support in my pregnancy, no one who wants me to pull through with it and have my child. My own mother disowned me in front of the Guardians at the school for becoming pregnant. _

_How embarrassing, having your mother hate you for something you had no control over. Sure I respected and loved her, but I made one mistake. A mistake she hung over my head._

Grizel would never do anything like that, Janine. Nor would Una, Mysie and Valan. You put your only family in shame.

_She was right though. _

_Grizel was too caught up with being a Guardian that she never had time to find love. Her glowing red hair was normally braided tightly to her skull, flowing down past her shoulders. Grizel was the eldest of us._

_Una had more of a bronze red, streaks of gold breaking through in the sun. She was older than I._

_As was Mysie and Valan; the twins. They were alike physically but in personality wise, they couldn't be any more different. Mysie was quiet and personal, liking her privacy a little too much, hair was very much like a fire. Valan was more open, not caring what people thought or said about him when he talks, he doesn't have a personal life. _

_And, even though we loved each other very much, they followed our mother out the gates to leave for another country… they left their youngest sibling, her youngest daughter, behind in the school they all grew up in for another country. _

_I had never cried as hard as I had that night. _

_The only light on that dark time was Abe, my love. He was there when they all left, was there when I broke down in tears, there when I had to tell to headmaster. He was there for me far more than any of my 'family' ever had been. _

_But now wasn't really the time to dwell on past memories. I took a deep breath, pushing open the door to the schools infirmary. Doctor Lazar -the doctor on campus, had a PhD allowing him to perform operations or, in my case, abortions –was waiting at the front desk, calmly looking down at me from his 6'1 height. He carried the Lazar eyes, raised in court as far as I know, but every time I had come in to see him… there was no snooty Royal air about him._

"_Hello Miss Hathaway. Come this way," his arm swept out, motioning to the door leading to the operation room. Calm I strode in there, a little glad that I could pull off a Guardian's mask this early._

_After numerous questions and him asking if I was sure, I was ready to it to begin. I was laying on the bed, fiddling with the gown's ties as Doctor Lazar quickly went over his notes, having smooth conversations with the female nurses who swooned over him._

_I had to admit, he was quite handsome for a thirty year old. He had tanned skin for a Moroi, sparkling eyes that seemed to always be crinkled with happiness. His fangs were always hidden behind pull red lips that always shined like he had applied some sort of cosmetics. _

_But none of that appealed to me since meeting Ibrahim Mazur. He was danger, strength, beauty and caring rolled into one man. No one could ever bring him off his pedestal and even though he wasn't a royal, he might as well have been._

_Everyone knew him, young and old, and had more influence than any Ivashkov. More money than most Royals seems to gain these days. But none of those reasons were why I fell for him when we-_

"_Are you ready to precede Miss Hathaway?" Lazar asked, breaking me from my forever wondering thoughts. I nodded, just as the needle for the IV broke my skin, a small crimson bead forming around the sharp silver point. I winced slightly as it pushed under my skin, already feeling the drip flowing through my vein._

"_Now, all we have to do is wait for the drip to get to half before we inject the anaesthetic into your system. When we get that into your system than…" I tuned out as he kept going on about what would happen when he injected this or did something else. After what felt like an hour he held the needle near the IV tube._

"_Now, I will ask this one last time, Miss Hathaway. Are you absolutely sure that you-" he was cut off by the door slamming open, a loud banging sound emitting through the half silent room. _

_Heavy breath filled the room, a shadowed figure standing in between the door frames, looking at me with intense eyes._

_Abe._

"_Janine, don't do this… Please," he pleaded, causing the doctor to look at him in shock._

"_I have to Abe. I can't have it, the child could ruin our lives," I made sure not to make eye contact with him, knowing fully well I could break under his gaze. _

"_Janine Hathaway, killing a Strigoi is one thing but killing your own child? It's like murder," I could feel the heat of his eyes on me. _

"_Abe, the child isn't alive right now, killing it now would be better than regretting not having the procedure now and getting it done when they actually have a heartbeat." My eyes casted down, just below his chin, making sure he could see mine._

_His head only turned to the doctor. "Is there an ultrasound here anywhere?" Doctor Lazar nodded his head, disappearing through another joining door before reappearing. He wheeled the machine next to me, opening the gown at the front._

_Abe moved to sit beside me, clutching my hand in his. It felt strange to have his smooth hand in my rough ones but it was comforting at the same time, to feel his thumb traces little designs onto the back of my hand._

_I had no idea as to why he had basically ordered the good doctor to get me an ultrasound machine, but I had a feeling that something drastic would change._

_My gown was pulled up, leaving me in black panties, and I shivered as the coldness of the gel moving across my abdomen that was already protruding. _

_Doctor Lazar stuck the wand on the whereabouts of my womb, gliding it across my skin until a grainy figure appeared on screen. _

"_Here you go, your children," Lazar called out with a small smile, eyes flittering to the screen and us._

"_Children?" I exclaimed at the same time Abe said, "Children!" _

_I was shocked that I had more than one, let alone they could tell how many. Abe seemed to beam with pride and amazement. _

_The doctor decided that it would be the best time to leave us alone._

_As soon as the infirmary door was closed I turned my killing glare on Abe, who seemed oblivious to everything with his proud grin._

"_Abe, I can't have these children, I've already told you this."_

"_Janine, they are alive. It would be like you killing a Moroi instead of a Strigoi, or killing me. But you are killing me," Abe continued when he say me about to rebut. "Those children in you are mine too, the share their blood with me so you would be killing our children. Halves of us." His eyes bore into mine, stunning with how much emotion he allowed to show. _

"_But... My trainings a-and my future and-" he placed a finger against my lips, making me fall quiet._

"_Shh, Janine. You'll still be a Guardian, still be able to train, hell you may even be allowed to graduate early with this. Everyone knows your one of the best here, maybe one of the best in the world so far. And, if no one would want you, then you could become my guardian."_

_I was silent for a few moments, mulling over everything he had said. The doctor came back in, a small and sad smile on his face. _

"_I'll need to check over everything with the ultrasound." I nodded as he walked back in, placing the wand back on my womb. Blobs of grey appeared on the screen, each showing bubbles were the head and body were. His pale fingers traced the screen._

"_That's one head, another's body, fingers and toes..." he paused for a moment. "Well, Miss Hathaway, it seems you're farther along than we thought," he reached out to press a button. The faint sounds of heartbeats filled the echoing room, a beat after a beat. Continuous and rapid._

"_How far along is she?" Abe asked, his hands squeezing mine._

"_Just about hitting the three month mark, so it would have been a little difficult to remove them now and since there is more than one then it would have been a little more difficult." _

_I was too mesmerized to say anything. All there was in my world were those little heartbeats, sputtering one after another. _

_My eyes welled up with joy and caring. I couldn't dare hurt little living beings inside of me, not when they have a heartbeat._

"_Janine? You okay?" Abe whispered, casting me suspicious glances. I shook my head, facing the doctor._

"_Doctor Lazar, I can't go through with this. I'm sorry for having you drag this all out; I just can't kill something alive." He seemed relieved._

"_You don't know how many teenage mothers I get through these parts Miss Hathaway. Only one quarter actually get the procedure done." He turned around on his chair, looking at the screen in shock before amazement took over his features. "First time I've ever heard of a Dhampir falling pregnant with more than one child..."_

_*End of flashback*_

So, as I lay on the couch in the room I had the strange urge to call up _him _and tell him. As it was, my hand reached out for the phone and before I knew what was happening I had rung his number.

"Alo? Mazur konusma." His accent sounded thicker than the last time I had seen him.

"Abe..."

"Janine? Is something wrong?"

I swallowed the lump in my throat. "I think it's time..."

**Stevey POV**

I couldn't believe it. I had a sister, a twin sister at that. And not just a twin sister; the legendary Rose Hathaway who just so happens to be half Strigoi.

Okay, I bet some of you are confused well let me just break this down.

When I saw my mother walk into that room, I never knew she was Janine Hathaway. To me she was Melisa Donahugh, guardian to a lord at court. It was strange, seeing her walk in and having another person call her mother.

A small smile flittered over my face as I walked besides Rose, her friend Lissa and sort of boyfriend Dimitri.

Rose was released from the infirmary but had to have at least two strong Dhampir around her at all times, thus is why both Dimitri and I are on either side of her as we walked to the commons for something to eat and also why Lissa is walking to my side.

The girls were chatting away like Rose had never left her side while both Belikov and I were silent, watching everyone and anyone who walked past us.

"What would the guys do? I did almost kill Christian after all," Rose said sadly to Lissa. The blonde Moroi princess smiled, placing a delicate hand on Rose's back.

"He'll forgive you..." she said a little cheekily. This caused Rose to start cracking up in fits of laughter.

"You are such a devil these days Liss. What about Eddie and Adrian? Hell, I'm guessing most of the school hates me by now. I could be a traitor in their eyes."

"Rose, just shut up with those thoughts. You're eyes aren't red and you're not going on a murderous rage at the moment trying to kill everyone in sight. Sure, you're a little paler with fangs but why would you let any of that stop you? What happen to the Rose everyone knew and loved?"

"She died," Rose stated with a grim expression. "She died when she was dragged into those caves the day of the rescue mission."

Lissa groaned in annoyance. "No, I don't believe that. Your spirit was altered, and you technically didn't die. You're walking around right now, talking to us, breathing clean air like before."

I casted a quick glance at one male Moroi as we passed him, his pale hazel eyes casted on the figure of my sister. I let out a small growl, watching him jerk back scared. I smirked as we headed into the common doors, the sound immediately dying down.

Rose took a deep breath, looking up to meet the eyes of every student, teacher and guardian in the room. "What are you all looking at?" she shouted calmly. "Never seen someone enter a room before?" All eyes turned away from hers.

Bodies shrunk back as she walked past, head held high like a queens, shoulders pushed back. We made our way to where two Moroi and a Dhampir sat, all males.

_Great, how many more males must my sister catch eyes on. _The only difference was that one Moroi boys eyes were on Lissa's. Must be Christian. The other Moroi's was casted on Rose with worry and relief. The Dhampir was glaring me down, as if I posed a threat.

"Hey Rose, you okay?" The Dhampir asked, eyes not moving from mine.

"Yeah. More than fine actually," she then seemed to notice a wicked bruise on his cheek. "Did I do that?" He nodded. "I'm sorry."

My arm went around her shoulders, kissing her cheek. "You had no control over it Rosie. I'm sure he'll forgive you," my eyes flickered over to his. "Right?"

He glared at my arm. "Yeah, it really is okay Rose."

The Moroi cleared his throat. "You going to introduce us Little Dhampir?"

Rose sighed. "Stevey, this is Christian Ozera," she pointed to the black haired Moroi with his arm around Lissa. "Adrian Ivashkov. My royal pain in the ass," yet again she pointed only to the other Moroi. "And this is Eddie Castile, my uh... Adoptive brother." I chuckled at her words as her hand pointed one last time at the Dhampir.

"Adoptive brother? Sound I be offended Rosie?" She joined me in laughing.

"Of course not!" Eddie cleared his throat this time.

"Are you going to introduce him to us Rose?"

"Oh! Of course," she rested her elbow on my shoulder, leaning on me as I crossed my arms over my chest. "This, boys, is Stephaniel Donahugh."

All three looked at us with caution before Christian asked, "Are you two dating?"

We looked at each other, a look of disgust on our faces. "Ew! No way is that happening!" We both said in unison.

"Then why are you too so close then?" All three boys called out.

My eyes connected with Rose's, her eyes sparkling with slyness. "We're brother and sister," she started.

"Twin to be exact," I ended before we both chimed.

"Can't you see the resemblance?" God, we already sound like true twins.

It was then that we realised that the whole commons had stopped talking to look at us with open mouths, like they were all fish.

_What the hell have we just gotten ourselves into?_

**Hey everyone! Sorry it took so damn long but I've been busy with some things. **

**Stevey: Oh yeah, Becca. You've been busy all right *winks*  
Me: Stevey! Not now! I'm trying to explain why I haven't updated in a while.**

**Stevey: Naw, but Becca-**

**Me: *glares* Unless you want to do it...  
Stevey: *smirks* Fine, I will... Becca is sorry for not updating, she's been sick and has been helping out her friend Allysia with some mental illness.**

**Me: Not a mental illness.**

**Stevey: Fine, fine... Anyway, she is very, very sorry and has tried to make it up to you all by writing this. It's a bit longer than normal, almost 5,000 words. She'll try to update sooner for you all. *winks* Because she knows you all want more of me.  
Me: -_- Not everyone does Stevey.**

**Stevey: Right, I bet there are already fan girls for me, screaming my name out your front door right this moment.**

**Me: Psht, as-  
Angery mob: Stevey! Stevey! Stevey!**

**Me: ...  
Stevey: *smirks* Told you.  
Me: *glares* Don't make me kill you off already.**


	15. Chapter 15: A Little History

**Stevey: Hey everyone! It's me, your lovable Stephaniel Donahugh. Hope you're all enjoying the fabulous chapters with me in them.**

**Me: I'm telling you now that most of them are reading because of Dimitri.**

**Stevey: *rolls eyes* Right. Because Belikov is such a babe magnet.**

**Me: Uh… He is actually. What's not to like about him? He's tall, gorgeous, kick ass, sweet, forbidden, hot, sexy, lovable, scorching-**

**Stevey: *clamps hand over her mouth* Okay. I get it. He's a 'God.' *sniffles* I just thought you would love your own character.**

**Me: *groans* Do not play that 'I'm-your-character-you-have-to-love-me' card!**

**Stevey: But-**

**Me: No! On with the story!**

**Stevey: *huffs* Fine.**

_Last time on I'll Love You For Eternity:_

_What the hell have we just gotten ourselves into?_

**Rose POV**

The whole commons was in silence, many had mouths hanging open with wide eyes of every colour. They were looking at my brother and I, all shocked and maybe a little scared.

Hell, one Hathaway was enough, adding another would make this school a hell hole for anyone we didn't like. I smirked. This was going to be fun because now I finally had someone that I can pull pranks with, someone to help me with devious planning to get revenge on people. Life was going to be sweet at Saint Vladimir's… as soon as I got my novice title back that is.

That seemed to put a damper on my mood, my smirk becoming a little smaller. It wasn't enough for anyone to tell the difference however.

Stephaniel turned to glare at each and every one of them, dark brown eyes focusing menacingly on each pair before they flinched back from the intense gaze. "Any of you got a problem with us?" He growled out, a low and dangerous sound coming from the back of his throat. More flinching occurred from those who hadn't turned away as of yet.

I smiled over at my brother, glad to have his courage and deviousness. He was like me, if I was in a male body, but the old me. The old me that isn't half monster.

Yet again, that painful reminder sent a stab to my half beating heart.

"Rosie," Stevey's voice made me jump as he whispered in my ear. "You're going to break my shoulder if you continue to lean on me with all your weight."

"Oh, sorry Stevey," I mumbled softly while lifting my elbow off him, severing the small amount of contact I had with him.

He took his seat, opposite the three boys before gesturing for me to sit beside him. As I did I made sure to pull Dimitri down with me, everyone –besides Lissa, Stevey and Dimitri –seemed a little surprised. But I'm guessing Adrian had a little idea as to why.

"So, Rose... What exactly are you?" Eddie asked right off the bat, not giving me any time to even reach towards one of the various foods on the table.

My hand curled around a doughnut as I replied. "Strihampir." I was met with three pairs of eyes that had no idea. I sighed. "I'm half Strigoi, half Dhampir," _but I'm starting to wonder about being a little Moroi too. _I added mentally before continuing. "You see, when I was turned it never went the full way. I still have the bond with Lissa, my features turned somewhat normal when I'm not angered but I thirst for blood," my voice was low so that only my table could hear me. "But, the upside is its Strigoi blood. It makes me stronger, faster than normal Strigoi."

They all openly looked at me with either wonder or amusement. Except for Stevey but only because he already knew this.

"So, Little Dhampir – sorry, I guess I'll have to correct that now. Little Strihampir, you're normal unless angered?"

I nodded before shoving the doughnut into my greedy mouth, instantly moaning as the glazed chocolate touched my tongue, the sound only growing louder with each bite. Other's turned their heads in my direction when the noise reached their ears but I didn't let any of it bother me. I missed, badly, so, so badly, the taste of chocolate.

"Having fun there, Little Strihampir?" A smirk was across Adrian's face while a spark gleamed in his green eyes.

"You don't know how much I've missed out on in this month. The Strigoi I lived with didn't think I needed food so I was never given any; I've been craving doughnuts, chocolate, carrot... Anything! To get rid of this hunger." My hand shot out once more quickly snatching up all the unhealthy, greasy food on the table with my excelled speed, pulling it all close to me before stuffing my face with yet another doughnut.

My eyes closed in bliss and I'm pretty sure I had a goofy grin on my face. But hey, I didn't really give any to what they thought of me. I went far, far too long without any food and I'll eat however I wanted.

I got amused looks from all my friends and family who sat watching me, either drinking something they got or eating what I didn't have piled high in front of me.

As I was finishing up Dimitri did the sweetest thing; under the table he held my hand tightly before leaning down and kissing my cheek. In front of everyone. Not that he hadn't done it before, but this was in front of all the students, including the three that somehow did not know.

Eddie and Christian looked at me with wide, stunned eyes, jaws dropped much like before. Adrian's eyes shone with jealously before he shot up from his seat and headed out the commons doors, pulling out a packet of cigarettes along the way.

"When did this happen?" Eddie asked when he had recovered.

"Since..." I looked over at Dimitri, who was smiling in public for a change. I was so caught up in the brightness of the smile that a cough was the only thing to break me out of it.

"I think it was when she started to train over time when she first came back," Dimitri answered when I blushed, leaning up against his arm.

"Well, no matter what people say Rose, Dimitri, I support you two. You balance each other out," Lissa commented with a smile while she too leaned against her boyfriend.

"Thank Liss."

"I agree with her. Since Christmas I've seen a huge change in you Rose," Christian added in. A small smile came across my face and before I even knew what I was doing I was beside him, crushing him in a hug before reappearing besides Dimitri once more.

"That was fast," Christian commented once more after rubbing his probably bruised arms.

I then turned my head towards my two brothers, one blood the other adopted.

Stevey was the first to smile, hooking his arm around my shoulders once more. "So long as you're happy Rosie, I'm happy." He then turned semi-serious when looking at Dimitri. "But, if you so ever as even make her eyes water, no matter the reason, I'll make you burn in Hell before bringing you back and feeding you to the wolves."

Dimitri nodded with a serious look on his face. "I would never even dare to hurt her. I have a feeling she would get to me before anyone else did." A half smile tilted up the right side of his mouth while his strong muscled arm circled around my waist.

My eyes turned towards Eddie who was looking at the interaction between Dimitri and I before sighing. "I agree with your brother Rose. As long as you're happy but I'm also guessing you wouldn't stop this either way. Just, be careful and be sure this is exactly what you want."

I knew he was just looking out for me but that didn't stop me growling softly at him, feeling the red bleed into my irises. "I'm one hundred per cent sure this is exactly what I want Castile." The gums on my upper lip tingled softly as sharp protruding fangs slid in place.

My skin turned lighter too, seeming as if the colour from my skin was rushing into my eyes. Dimitri, noticing the swift changes placed his hand on my knee and dragged me closer to his body while murmuring soft Russian nothings in my ear. The sweetness of his tone sent a delightful chill up my spine and made everything right again. The crimson disappearing like mist from my eyes, the fangs to hide back between my gums, Moroi sized canines replacing them while circulation flowed through my body once more.

My head turned up to look to the face of my Russian God, already seeing his swirling brown eyes focusing on me.

"You okay?" I only nodded to answer his question before turning my attention back towards Eddie.

"I'm sorry for that. I have no idea what sparked it this time."

"Don't worry about it."

I stayed quiet for a while, looking down at the food I had gathered onto a plate in front of me before yet again reaching for something to eat. I had no idea as to what the hell I grabbed to eat and I didn't care as I stuffed it in my mouth. As I chewed I got the taste of bland rice that was smothered heavily in soy sauce. Instead of usually turning away something healthy I just kept eating.

A soft, delightful chuckle sounded in my ears. Turning my head, I found it to be Dimitri as he looked at me.

"Something wrong, Comrade?"

He shook his head, a small half smile across his lips. "Nothing at all Roza, just watching you enjoy yourself."

"Why don't you enjoy along with me?" I sent I wink in his direction which I'm pretty sure Lissa saw too. He growled, a very low hardly heard sound while pulling my hand closer to his.

"Oh, I plan to enjoy, only later." A shiver tore up my spine while my eyes raked over his body, causing me to lick my lips in appreciation.

"Why later? Why not now?" Now it was his turn for his eyes to mentally strip my clothing away, taking in each curve of my body I'm guessing he memorized.

Until a loud, annoyed cough broke our probably (okay, there was no probability about it) naughty thoughts.

"Can you two not mentally fuck each other?" Stevey said with a half disgusted, half teasing tone. I blushed a pretty red colour while burying my head in Dimitri's shoulder.

"Don't say that! They might actually do it on the table!" Christian called while trying not to laugh. A soft whimpering sound left my lips while I tried to hide my total embarrassment. But I soon got over my embarrassment, Dimitri turning a very soft red in the cheeks.

I tried to ignore how even something made to look cute still made him look hot and concentrated to using a comeback. "No, because that would mean a free show and I don't do that."

"Then what do you do?"

"Her mentor, of course." Stevey interrupted before I even had a chance to reply to what Christian had said.

"Who side are you meant to be on, you pompous ass?"

"Am I not allowed to pick on my sister?"

"No, you're not. You're supposed to be defending her against her best friend's jackass of a boyfriend."

"Sorry, but I kind of think you can handle yourself when faced with something like this, Rosie."

I rolled my eyes at my brother while inside I was grinning. To think, I missed out on all the fun of sibling banter, even though I had Lissa and recently Christian it didn't feel the same then at this moment.

"Gotta admit Rose," Christian started, looking at me through the black locks that had fallen into his face. "It's kinda kinky, you with your teacher and all." He snickered before Lissa playfully elbowed him in the ribs.

"And, it's kinda kinky how you go to the church for sex. I mean, I know you should love God the way one loves another, but I think that takes it a little too far," I smirked as a dark, dark red blush spreads across Christian's face and Lissa's by default.

"You are a bad, bad girl, Rosemarie Hathaway." Stevey chortled with a playful grin. "Report to the closest teacher for you punishment."

I turned over to face Dimitri who was looking away, obviously not wanting to be part of this conversation. As soon as he felt my eyes on him he turned, facing me with a slight shock while my eyes widened in an innocent look, giving him my best man-eating smile.

"Guardian Belikov," I purred lasciviously. "I'm in need of a punishment. Are you willing to deal it? After all, you are normally the one who deals with me."

His Adams apple bobbed as he swallowed audibly, beautiful brown eyes swirling with lust.

"Not," he stopped to cough, his normally low timbre gone high. "Not now Rose."

"Aw, why not?" I pouted, acting disappointed. In reality it wasn't that hard to act it since I was actually somewhat disappointed but I knew he was trying so hard not kiss me.

"Because I hardly think this is the time for activities such as that."

I rolled my eyes, crossing my arms over my chest while turning around to face the rest of the group. Lissa was looking at me while she tried to hide her laughter. The boys did no such thing though, either laughing or sniggering at the way I was acting, like a denied child.

Dimitri leaned close to my ear. "Later, Roza. I promise you, love." Soft words flittered through my ears, a shiver down my spine.

"Stop whispering dirty words into your students ear, Belikov." Stevey commented, rolling his brown eyes dramatically.

"Oh, you're just jealous you don't have a hot, sexy mentor." I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Why would I want to be with him?"

"Why wouldn't you?"

"Because I'm not gay?"

"You sure about that?"

"One hundred per cent, if you don't believe me I could always get one of the dancers from the club to check out my story and tell you how many times she c-" Lissa slapped him, hard across the chest.

"You stop it right there Stephaniel. That type of language is too crude for a table conversation. So you can either shut up or pack up." She growled, a tiny flick of compulsion shining through her words.

Stevey froze up before nodding solemnly. When she looked pleased Lissa returned to her food, happily munching on the shining red apple in her manicured hands. I then noticed that Lissa hasn't changed out of the last thing she was in, and let me tell you that I would have never pictured her wearing something like this in a million years.

A very tight black and red corset covered her torso, pushing up small breasts to make them look bigger (I have no doubt that Christian loves that) while skin tight leather pants were basically glued to her legs. I couldn't see past there but I had a feeling she was wearing boots. Combat boots at that. Her long platinum blonde hair was down to her shoulders, nothing having changed there, framing her face like an angel's caress except the normally light colouring was replaced with heavy, dark colours of black.

"I think I'm more scared of her than of you, Rose."

I blinked a few times in surprise. "I find that hard to believe."

"You didn't see her after you went missing," Christian said.

"I'm right here you know," she commented while looking up at us.

We just ignored her as we continued to talk.

"She set fire to half the school. Everyone thought the Strigoi came back and started the fire."

"How'd they figure out it was her?"

"I'm still here! I haven't left."

Yet again we all ignored her, so interested into the story to even bother listening.

"The only reason," Eddie started, taking over from Christian's role. "Is because they found soot in her hair and small burns on her hands. No one would have ever suspected her to do anything like that."

I was left silent in both shock and amazement. Slowly my head turned towards my best friend, looking at her in a new light, a darker and more sinister light.

"Are you the new Pyro now?" I teased with a small smirk, trying to make sure my fangs were hidden from their view.

She blushed a faint pink, jade eyes casting down in shame yet there was a faint glimmer of pride. Slowly I put down my mental walls and allowed her thought to enter my mind.

_Why did I have to do it? I could have gotten into a lot of trouble, if Rose did it she would have been expelled and thrown out but no. They can't do that to a Moroi, wouldn't even dare do it to the Dragomir Princess. But I can't help feel prideful that I acted like her, she is always stronger than me. Always putting herself in harm's way for me, for anyone really... Why can't I be more like her?_

I blinked yet again, struck with just how much different Lissa and I were to each other. Of course I always knew we were different but with this, it finally made me realise that even though I strived to be the best protector for her she secretly wanted to be strong with me. But, I already saw her as strong. Stronger than me in fact, maybe not physically but mentally and spiritually (no pun intended) stronger. I don't think I could have ever have been strong enough to become someone Lissa would have been proud of if the roles were reversed. And, even though I was really ecstatic that she wanted to be someone I would have been proud of –in her eyes anyway –I really wanted my best friend back.

"Liss, please tell me you'll go back to being the best friend I know and love?"

She shrugged but I could hear that she would change back as soon as she gets back to her dorm room. "No idea, Rose."

"Right, right." I had a small smile on my face before I felt a strong hand clamp on my shoulder. I knew it wasn't Dimitri's because he was right beside me but I also had a vague idea that this was not a friend due to the Guardian Mask covering my Comrade's face.

"Rose," a female's voice I easily recognized. "I need you to come with me."

I nodded and was getting to stand up when the rest of the bang barged in, stopping Alberta from taking me away.

"If Rose goes, we all go Guardian Petrov." Lissa stood up, putting on a good try of a Guardian's Mask though it didn't come close to Dimitri's.

"I'm sorry Princess but I cannot allow anyone to accompany us due to how dangerous Rose-"

This time it was Stevey who interrupted. "That is a load of crap." I gave him a stern look which he just shrugged off. "What? It's true. From what I understand she has defended Princess Dragomir from a Strigoi the Guardian's personally escorted into school grounds and has not hurt any student nor facility member since she was discharged from the infirmary. Therefore, I see no reason that we shouldn't be allowed to accompany her with you."

"And who might you be?" Alberta crossed her arms across her chest, raising an eyebrow at him. Damn, was I still the only one who couldn't do that?

Stevey bowed gallantly, sweeping one hand under to rest on his stomach while the other moved Alberta's hand from her chest and kissed it light. "Stephaniel Donahugh, or as I've recently found out, Hathaway. Pleasure to meet you, chérie." Once more he brushed his lips over her knuckles, a faint pink blush over her cheeks.

You could hear a few dreamy sighs as the Moroi –and the very small amount of Dhampir girls –watched my brother try to 'woo' Alberta. I also think Lissa was blushing softly.

I, on the other hand, rolled my eyes. This isn't the first time I've seen him pull this almost exact same stunt. Whenever a woman fell over in the club he would put on that French accent to sooth her 'poor hurt soul.' Personally I think he was laying it on a little thick.

"Well, I guess it would be alright for you to join us on the meeting." And just like that they were in.

Stevey grinned, placing the third and final kiss upon her hand before standing to his full height with a cute boyish smile upon his face. Another round of dreamy sighs sounded around us while I tapped my foot impatiently before walking forward and roughly grapping his arm, pulling him out of the room. A second later other footsteps joined us.

As I dragged him out you could hear the protest of the girls who wanted to see more of him, and I could almost feel him pouting the whole way.

"But... but Rose! The ladies want me here!" He sounded like a four year old whining to their mother.

Yet again I rolled my eyes. "I believe that, doesn't mean I'm letting you stay with them."

His body shifted for a moment, causing me to pause in case he tried to attack me. It turns out he was just crossing his arms over his chest, the tattoo on his arm bulging with his muscles, the slash-like ends becoming larger with the flex.

I dragged my lazy ass brother to Kirova's office, knocking on the door softly before hearing a soft 'come on' from the other side.

I let go of Stevey, hearing a satisfied _thump_ before an annoyed, "hey!" and I assumed he was rubbing the back of his head.

"Ah, Miss Hathaway. What a pleasure to see you after your absence." Her bird like face smiled, though it seemed a little forced.

"Drop the crap, Kirova." This earned a few unamused scowls. "I want to know why you called me in her." My hands were on the front of her desk, leaning over to get close and intimidating.

She appeared calm however, waving her hand to the seats located to the side. "Please, Miss Hathaway, have a seat." I did, only because it would hurry things up. Just as she was about to start talking again she seemed to notice everyone else. "Princess Dragomir, Lord Ozera, Mr Castile, Guardian Belikov and Mr-"

Stevey walked over, smiling charmingly while bowing once again. "Stephaniel Donahugh-Hathaway."

"Stevey, go back with the others, actually you should all go back to lunch." Not that I wasn't grateful for them all wanting to support me but I had a feeling what Kirova wanted me here for; to tell her my story of what's happened within this month.

"Did you say Hathaway?" She asked, wide eyed.

"Why yes. It just happens that our darling mother forgot to mention that she had twins."

"T-Twins?" She blinked her eyes before scrubbing a hand down her face, muttering softly under her breath. "I thought one Hathaway was bad."

I just chuckled before she turned her vulture eyes on me.

"Miss Hathaway, I have been informed of your situation with the, uh... altercation of your DNA but I would like to know of any threat the Strigoi might have in place for us and I'm sure you can tell us." My eyes squinted as I glared. "Not that I mean you have allied with them, but maybe you've heard of some things floating around."

My sight became normal but I did gulp, biting my lip and wincing as my fang scraped against my lip.

"T-There was one thing..."

"Then please, tell us and leave out no detail."

I ignored the peering eyes and tuning ears while I tried to explain all that I had heard in the month I spent with the Strigoi.

"They would love nothing more than wipe out each royal line of Moroi, but I'm pretty sure you all know that, but I doubt you know that they plan to start with the Ivashkov's. Attacking the Queen first to strike terror into the society before wiping out that line. After the Ivashkov's are gone they are going to attack each family from largest to smallest, the Dragomir line being the last." I quickly casted a look over to see Lissa's reaction, she had frozen but nothing else happened. I released a breath I didn't know I was holding while I continue.

"When all royal Moroi lines leave, they plan to attack the royal Dhampir lines-"

"Royal Dhampir's? Miss Hathaway, that is absurd. Everyone knows that Dhampir's don't have royal lines in them."

"Ah, that is where you are wrong Kirova. I was kind of close to one of the older Strigoi, a higher position than I, who told me stories about olden times, back in the Homelands..."

_*freaky flashback music and crazy colours*_

"_Now, listen up Rosemarie, I'm going to tell you a story," Alard said as he ushered me into the room the Bounties had assigned me. I was to stay in here unless called out, but I snuck out this latest time only to be caught by Alard who had to be a rather strange Strigoi._

_His eyes were still ringed red yet the brightness of the crimson seemed to be fading, the paleness becoming brighter though. He also acted a lot nicer than most, like he had a heart that still worked. _

"_Why should I Al? It's not as if I'm actually going to learn from it."_

_He chuckled, something that didn't sound as cold as others. "But you will, little flower. For this concerns the world you enjoyed before coming to this fate."_

"_So, a story about the Moroi?"_

"_Not this time. This is a story about the Dhampir. For, you see, when the vampire branches only lived in the Homeland –Romania –the Dhampir race were more free ranged than these days. They were allowed to have families and choose whether or not they were to guard their cousins."_

"_Dhampir's, being cousins to Moroi? I find highly unbelievable."_

"_Oh shush, Rose and let me tell the story before you go barging in and intruding with questions." He looked at me pointedly._

_I sighed, resting down on my bed while he sat by the edge, like I imagined a mother or father would do for their sick child._

"_As I was saying; the Dhampir's had more of a choice. They could choose whether to guard, to protect, even go to school and they could marry any one they chose to, if that person chose them back of course. There were also royal families, much like the Moroi have these days. The royal Dhampir families were in charge of all Guardians' that wanted to be assigned to a Moroi, giving each person a protector fairly, and it was based on skill, personality and compatibility with their charge._

_Moroi and Dhampir lived happily, co-existing in harmony and peace, protecting each other like best friends would. They each had each other's backs for many years until one corrupted Queen took over. I remember the day clearly-"_

_I broke in. "Alard, just how old are you?"_

_A twinkle of amusement shone in his red ringed blue eyes. "Older than most, little flower but I am not as old as the Strigoi King."_

"_Strigoi King? I thought that was only a myth." _

"_I'll explain that in a later time, back to the Queen. Her name was Amalasuntha who came from the Badica branch, she was fair and gracious in her looks but her heart was dark for she wanted power over both the Dhampir and Moroi though at the time it was illegal and could actually make a Queen loose her head for even trying the offence. For many years she tried turning the Moroi royals against the Dhampir royals but one Moroi stopped her from completing the goal; Vuldretrada Dragomir. Back then most royal rulers were female due to their leading judgement and fairness._

"_The reasons Vuldretrada Dragomir stood up so fiercely for the Dhampir to stay under their own royal's rules was because she was bound to a royal Dhampir herself, for she was a spirit user. Spirit users seem to run strongly through the Dragomir line. Rothaide Hathaway was the personal Guardian of Vuldretrada, though many wondered just how personal she was," he chuckled once more._

"_And not just that but she was easily the best Dhampir warrior any had ever seen and not just because she was kissed by shadows, though that helped. What it really was due to though was her name itself along with her lover who was just as amazing in battle and could match her hit for hit which was highly unlikely._

"_Danil Belyakov was her one weakness and since Rothaide was the Queen of all Dhampir royals, if she fell the others would too. So, Amalasuntha sided with the S__trigă__ which lead to the __S__trigă__ capturing Danil, keeping him for days upon days until Rothaide couldn't stand it anymore and launched an attack on their enemies. Sadly though neither Danil nor Rothaide returned alive, this led to the crumble of the Dhampir royals since their Queen was killed__ and had no hope of being safe. __Most Dhampir's killed off the rest of the royal Dhampir lines, shouting at the top of the lungs 'the loss is dire, burn them in fire.'_

"_After that, the Moroi held power over all Dhampir's yet the Royal lines still hold some grace, proving to birth the strongest Guardians, the toughest of the tough. And you, little flower; have enough Hathaway blood flowing in you to actually lead the Royals back to power over their own people."_

"_Lead the royals back to power? Alard, are you sure your memory hasn't gone with old age?"_

_Instead of getting struck like I did each time I made a joke about a Strigoi's age, he chuckled a deep chuckle. His pale face lit up as a small amount of blood coloured his cheeks with a soft pink, eyes sparkling like sunset on water. _

"_Everything I had said, little flower, is all true and time has not made my mind weak, it has made my mind stronger."_

"_Alard..." I hesitated for a split moment before taking in a deep breath, wanting to ask just how old he was but I changed question at the last moment. "What do you mean I have enough Hathaway blood? Aren't I a direct descendant if my mother is a Hathaway?"_

"_Yes, but over time the Royals that escaped hid themselves and bred to pass on their genes, as how things are usually. But, not enough Hathaway's bred with the same Moroi families therefore a mixture of blood. You, however, have enough pure Hathaway blood to take role of Queen one day."_

"_And you know that how?" I attempted to raise one eyebrow like Dimitri does yet failed at it, opting for raising both instead._

_He grinned, showing the deadly fangs as they gleamed in the low light of my room. "I know, because I can see an old soul from anywhere." He winked at me before quickly getting off the edge of my bed and heading over to the door, stopping for a moment with one hand on the frame. "And Rose, if you ever need anything, don't be afraid to ask me."_

_Despite my feelings about Strigoi, there was something about Alard that one couldn't help but smile along with. "I will Al. You can count on that."_

_*fading flashback music and weird flashing lights*_

"Rose? Is something wrong?" Lissa asked as she placed her hand on my shoulder before quickly flinching away. Why? I had no idea.

"Oh, nothing. I was just revising what Al told me."

"Al? Who's Al?" She looked at me strangely, raising a single blonde eyebrow.

"He's the Strigoi I was talking about," I saw everyone stiffen when I mentioned our enemies. "His full name is Alard but he was unlike any others I met, and not just because he was crazy old either. He seemed... more Moroi, more alive rather than the coldness Strigoi are normally. Don't get me wrong, he could be just as deadly and just as evil but he was... kind to me. Whereas others hit me for talking rudely to them, he chuckled while ruffling my hair. Almost like he was my father, praising me for standing up to him." My voice became soft as I talked warmly about the only Strigoi I actually liked.

Kirova barged in at that moment. "I would like to hear about why you _think _there are Dhampir Royals, Miss Hathaway."

"I don't think, Kirova. I know. I got it straight from a primary source." My chin became high as I looked up at her vulture like features. "And, my name alone proves it." Yeah, it kind of sounded like I was boasting myself.

"And how does your name prove your statement and how would you have gotten a primary source?"

I know I must have said this a dozen times already in my life, but Kirova really gets on my nerves sometimes, okay scratch the sometimes.

"Alard is my primary source, and as I said he is older than most Strigoi and he once told me that he lived in Romania when Court was there."

"That was over three hundred years, Miss Hathaway. I find it highly implausible."

I just smirked even though I actually had no idea how old Al was. "You don't think a Strigă could live that long without being killed, Kirova?"

"I wouldn't think so."

"What if I told you that he wasn't the oldest there?"

"I'd still find it hard to believe Miss Hathaway."

"Well, you better believe it. Alard is not the eldest in the American Coven. He's not even the highest power, he's only a Sovereign. Sovereign's are only the third-in-command, under Regal's and, of course, the King." I had the satisfaction of seeing everyone's eyes widen as I talked about the hierarchies.

For a while there had been rumours going around about the Strigoi having assorted leaders and even a King, I guess I just confirmed their thoughts. Slowly the Guardians that lined the walls stepped forward, pushing all my friends out the door with protests and shouts before shutting it in their faces. I looked on in shock as the stoic faces looked at me with traces of disdain and something close to greed in their eyes. When I slowly got out of my seat they crept closer and before long had made a complete circle around me, leaving me barely any room to move around in.

"Rosemarie, we need you to tell us everything you have learnt from your time in their camp." Alberta spoke this time, Kirova still at her desk as she appeared to allow Alberta take over control from here on.

With my extra sensitive hearing I could hear the mumbled words of my friends and family outside the door, hushed to hear everything going on inside.

I rolled my eyes, tensing my body in case anyone tried to attack me, so that I would be prepared. "I would have told you guys everything, no matter if my friends were in here or not."

Alberta smiled softly, calmly. "We know that Rose, but we don't want them to over hear something they shouldn't for now."

"Then why kick out Dimitri? Shouldn't he hear this anyway?"

She shrugged. "I assume you'll tell him more after this." Okay, she had me there.

I was actually going to talk to him as soon as I could and give him every single little detail that I wouldn't tell anyone else... Like what Anthony tried to do to me before I killed the son of a bitch.

I sighed, sitting back down, leaning my elbow on the arm rest as my head rested on my open palm.

"Fine. I'll tell you anything you want to know."

The Guardian's slowly became relaxed yet did not move away from me before I basically growled at them.

"Start from the beginning, Miss Hathaway," Kirova started once more while folding both her hands under her chin and rested them on the top of her desk, leaning forward to listen.

"How about I start by telling you all the Ranks that I know of." I licked my suddenly parched lips and quickly counted how long since the last time I drank. "There's the King, barely ever a Queen, who looks out over their Coven and before you ask, no. I do not know who controls the American Coven's. After the King you have the Regal's who are those of 'royal blood' that the King had turned personally but they have to be over a certain age. Almost the same for Sovereigns except they don't have to be turned by the King. Generals keep the rest of us in line though they are under instruction by either a Sovereign, Regal or the King. Bounties and Gestures round up the new recruits, making more and are mostly the second line of attack when dealing with large groups. Then you have what I'm supposed to be; Blood Mongrel. Blood Mongrel's are the ones you find in the forefront of the battle, the newly turned ones that can feel nothing but the blood lust. That stage lasts for two years, which means I should still be in the early stages where I would have attacked and probably killed you all by now. Not that I will!" I quickly added when four Guardian's grabbed their stakes.

"Miss Hathaway, is that all the ranks?"

"That I know of Kirova."

She nodded, her greying hair bobbing in time with her head. "Anything else you think would benefit, Miss Hathaway?"

Once more I licked my lips while my eyes looked above the window behind the headmistress.

"Not off the top of my head. I'll contact you when I do," I smiled sweetly and before anyone could see me I was already by the door, nodding at them before opening the door...

Only to run right into Stevey's chest.

I rubbed at my head while he rubbed his chest. "God, Rose. You have a hard head."

"Yeah, well you have a hard chest."

"Thank you, I train daily," he winked.

"Was not a compliment."

"Still taking it as one."

"Can you two not do that right now? We want to know what happened!" Lissa called excitedly before grabbing my arm and dragging me out of the building, all the guys following behind us.

"Liss, I'm going to tell you all later anyway. No need to pull me off anywhere."

I could feel more than see Lissa rolling her eyes. "I know that, I just want to hear it faster! I need to know everything."

I just sighed and allowed her to pull me off, seeing the boys send me amused looks from the corner of their eyes.

Then, as if it was waiting this time, a burn started down my throat. It was a burn I recognised from the whole month I had been this way and as the seconds ticked by that burning sensation got worse until I stood still while Lissa tried to keep pulling me away to her room probably.

"Dimitri?" My voice sounded strange even to my ears, more cold and hungry.

"Yes, Roza?" His accented voice sounded concerned. He should be.

"Where did the Guardian's put the Strigoi?"

"The school jail," now his voice was confused. "Why do you need to know?"

For a third time in the last hour, my tongue slid over my dry lips. "I'm hungry."

Those two words sent everyone still, their eyes looking into my back or at my eyes. I hoped the red wasn't bleeding into my irises or that my fangs were becoming larger. I'd really hate for Lissa to see me in this state; my blood hungry Strigoi state.

"C'mon Rose, let's get you something to eat." That was Stevey, rolling up his sleeve. I hissed and jumped away from him, finding my fangs biting into my lip.

"What do you think you're doing?" My voice now was all cold, devoid of anything that made me sound like Rose Hathaway.

"I'm betting the jail is farther away than you think Rose, and even with your speed you could be killed or kill someone innocent if the hunger gets crazy." He was now in front of me, offering his muscled arm out.

"God damn it, Stevey! Get away! I don't want to end up killing you!" I all but screamed at him while moving for away from anyone in case I did hurt them.

"You won't Rose. I trust you." Then he was here, backing me up against a wall.

I didn't understand why the others just allowed him to do this, forcefully making me drink from him when I could easily end you draining him dry. And, there were Strigoi on campus but I couldn't drink from him. I don't like the taste of Moroi and Dhampir –besides Dimitri for some strange reason –so I'd probably end up rejecting it anyway. Soon my back was pressed up against the brick wall, my nails biting into the wall, hissing and growling for him to move back.

"Just calm down Rose, you'll accept it."

"I can't! I physically can't drink your blood," I tried, pleadingly almost.

That put him to a stop. "What are you talking about, 'you physically can't'?"

"I can only drink Strigoi blood, when I try to drink Moroi or Dhampir blood I reject it. I thought you would have known this Stevey, after the month we spent together."

"I knew about you drinking Strigoi Rose, but I was never told by you that you can't drink any others." He backed up but there was this determined fire in his eyes. His normally brown eyes seemed to turn darker, like a black, while brilliant veins of fire licked up as if they were really burning in his eyes. For a moment I just stared before he blinked and it all disappeared. Or, maybe it was just my imagination.

Yeah, pretty sure it was.

"So, I really need to get over to the jail. Meet you all in Lissa's room after?" They all quickly nodded. "Good. See y'all soon." I speed away, heading straight to the jail.

The world around me was a blur of colours, blending together like someone had thrown everything in a giant blender yet my eyes were clear and could define every single particle that floated past my line of sight. It was strange, seeing things within nothing. Like waking from a hazy sleep, there were no real objects upon waking but everything was in some kind of clarity.

I soon found myself on the outside of the school jail, three Guardian's keeping watch out the front door, looking slightly bored until they saw me approach.

"Sorry, Miss Hathaway, you can't go in." One said.

"I think I would permission," my voice had grown colder, colder than a Strigoi's even.

"How so?" Another said, all three of them tightening around me.

I only sighed, pushing past one with a little more strength than I should have used. "Because I'm hungry and they are the only things that sustain me, because I'm sure you've been told of my condition."

They nodded and allowed me past. The 'jail' was actually a cellar that was used for storage and use to be a bomb shelter in World War II. Its walls were concrete, rough on the hands if you used the walls to guide you in the darkness, and a bare grey. A little further down you could see bars made of titanium steel, glinting under the single soft florescent light. Hisses and whimpers sounded a little further down since they placed all the remaining alive Strigoi in the farthest cells, to make sure they don't get out as quickly if they ever freed themselves which I found highly unlikely but you could never know until it actually happened.

My body was close to the ground, like I was the mighty tiger stalking its prey in the dense jungles, my feet were light like feathers while my breathing slowed to the point where even I could barely hear myself breathing. Time seemed to slow down in my eyes, the opposite of what happens when I use the speed I was given when the blonde Strigoi tried to turn me, yet my body moved at the same pace as if I was walking.

Closer and closer I stalked, the animal instinct taking over my senses as the metallic tang of their blood's scent made my mouth salivate. God, I needed it badly.

Then I stood in front of one set of bars, three in the one I was looking at and knew the others were somewhere else. They didn't want any chance of these Strigoi going nuts of the school.

The three looked up and hissed louder in the second they saw me and all I did was grin evilly as I picked out which one of the bastards I wanted to quench my thirst.

**Me: Finally! I'm finished!**

**Stevey: Wait – so Rose can't drink from anyone but Strigoi?**

**Me: And Dimitri but she won't. Now, I haven't done this in a while but it's time for; Favourite Reviewer! This chapter's is **_**Ellixie! **_**Congratulations!**

**Stevey: Yeah, congratulations darl *Winks* I know you love having the privilege of having moi talk to all you fine señoritas but Becca over here *points in her direction* thinks it's all about Belikov. So, the question is; **_**Who would you rather date? Guardian Dimitri Belikov or me, bodyguard Stephaniel Donahugh? **_

**Me: I can already tell Dimitri will win this.**

**Stevey: Psht, what do you know?**

**Me: … I know a lot. Like what's going to happen next and what not.**

**Stevey: … You're going to make my life a living hell in this aren't you?**

**Me: *smirks* Got that right, baby *winks* And your girlfriend is going to be so bitchy to you.**

**Stevey: There you go! The whole babe thing when there are – WAIT, what! Girlfriend? Stephaniel Donahugh does NOT belong to any one female!**

**Me: You do now player. I swear I made you a mix of Adrian, Christian and a fun Dimitri. **

**Stevey: *Smirks* Three in one, ladies. All three guys in one.**

**Me: Go away before I hurt you…  
Stevey: *grumbles* Fine… Review if you love me!  
Me: Now!**


	16. Chapter 16: Just Thinking

**Me: Hey everyone! I'm going to quickly say thanks to everyone who reviewed and start telling this story before Stevey comes in. Which I have no doubt will be soon. So, let's start and NOT give him a chance to interr-**

**Stevey: *smirks* Too late.**

**Me: *groans***

**Stevey: Oh, you love me. Now, let's get this show in the road! **

_Last time on I'll Love You For Eternity;_

_The three looked up and hissed louder in the second they saw me and all I did was grin evilly as I picked out which one of the bastards I wanted to quench my thirst._

**Third Person POV**

Everyone bar Rose was seated around Lissa's room, some on the floor while the remaining few sat on the spare bed that had once belonged to the princess' gawky sort-of cousin Natalie Dashkov. Lissa was on her bed, leaning against the wall with her head resting on Christian's shoulder as their hands twined together between their laps. The silence around the room was not comfortable as they waited for their returned yet altered friend to appear and give her accounts on the past month.

Rose's newly found out brother was seated with his arms crossed on the spare bed beside Eddie Castile, who also had his arms crossed and both looked as intimidating as the other. They were both considered brothers in Rose's eyes but neither of them wanted to admit that the other could be called that title with no reason. Stevey gained his title only by blood as far as anyone knew yet Eddie gained his by being there for her through everything.

Both boys couldn't stand each other, for now.

Stevey disliked Castile because he thought the Dhampir was trying to make a move on his sister, though that was untrue.

Eddie disliked Donahugh because he just wasn't there and thinks he can waltz right on in, calming the title of brother.

The only thing they acknowledged about each other was the fact that they both wanted Rose to be happy. They just couldn't tolerate each other at this moment.

Lissa watched the boys with growing curiosity. They both cared for Rose, deeply so, yet couldn't stand the thought of what the other had in mind. She couldn't read their minds but she didn't have to, their facial expressions and aura's showed enough for them. The princess wanted to chuckle at how similar yet different both boys were towards their 'sister' but refrained in case anyone would give her strange looks. Her jade eyes scanned the males in her room, trying to get a sense of how each one fit into the life built around a common factor; Rosemarie Hathaway.

There was Christian. His onyx black hair was shagging slightly to obscure his eyes that made her want to drown in. That crystal blue made her feel like she was staring right into the heart of the ocean, the purest form of liquid on the earth she roamed. He normally dressed in black and today wasn't really an exception; tight black skinny jeans with a fitted black jersey style shirt that had white rimming the neck and arms, a white logo for the Black Veil Brides like a beacon on the front. The only reason he was tied to Rose was through Lissa yet she had a feeling that he enjoyed her bickering and snide comments but would never admit to missing her.

Dimitri; really tall for any one's standards with hair the colour of melted chocolate that reached his shoulders but was normally tied to the nape of his neck with a hair tie. His eyes were darker; almost hypnotizing to any female that dared look him in the eyes. His complexion was the natural tan people strived to get and his clothing was normal guardian attire, with the exception of the leather duster he wore. He was close in Rose's life because he mentored her before falling in love.

Eddie had sandy-blonde hair that stuck up in random places but still looked good on him, eyes like the outer skin of a hazelnut with natural sun kissed skin. His build was athletic, muscles highly defined for an eighteen-year-old. The connection between was the fact he acted as her big brother, protecting the protector.

Then, there was Stephaniel. He was almost the exact same copy of her from their eyes to body structure. There wasn't much that was different besides what Rose had turned into and anyone could easily see that they were twins, in every sense of the word. The personality he had resembled that of Mason, easy going and an all-around good guy, but was cheeky and flirtatious. His alleged bed mates were proof of that flirtatiousness.

Suddenly a loud howling laugh came from the door, waking Lissa out of her thoughts.

"Hey everyone, why you lookin' so sullen?" Rose stood in the doorway, a blackish red colouring around her basically broken shirt that was in tatters.

Dimitri, Lissa noticed, brightened as soon as he saw her in the doorway and smiled grandly. The Moroi princess blinked her vivid jade eyes at the sight of the Guardian. Never in the time she had known him had she ever seen him smile.

"Waiting for you Rosie. You being late and dirtied up is not an excuse," Stephaniel winked over at his sister, causing her to roll her eyes in return.

"Oh please, I just had a hard time trying to subdue the brunette. Remind me to speak to the idiot who made the Strigoi share a cell," her cocky smile shone, giving everyone a peak at a Moroi sized fang.

"But what have everyone told you?" He continued. "Never play with your food." He shook his head, causing the shagging dark brown hair to sway with the motion.

Yet again she rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah but you can't really help it when three of them are trying to attack you at the same time while you only want one. I was lucky I didn't get out of with something more serious."

Not that she needed to worry about her luck. With the added speed and strength from the Strigoi blood that mixed with her own it gave her an advantage over everything one could come across.

Lissa jumped to her feet and headed over to her larger than normal closet. Since she had her own room the closet was larger since she made both hers and Natalie's old one join together to form a larger one, that also happened to be walk in. The blonde vampire walked through the doors and headed to the furthest part, where she kept spare clothes for Rose in case of emergencies.

Everyone watched in curiosity as to why the princess had just entered her wardrobe before she quickly reappeared out of it with two pairs of clothing, both in dark colours. Black skinny jeans and red with black satin corset. Without a word she handed them over to Rose before ushering her into the adjacent bathroom, shutting the door tightly behind her and standing guard in front of it while giving the boys a hard look.

Rose got changed, happy to get out of her ragged clothing she had worn for basically the whole month. Her eyes almost bugged out of her head when she saw the corset, not even sure why Lissa had it in her closet in the first place but nevertheless she changed and sighed when it fit her curves snugly. The red stood out against her paler-than-she-wanted-it-to-be skin, two thin red straps against her shoulders, see through black lace edging the beginning of her rather buxom cleavage. It felt rather silky against her extra sensitive skin, caressing her like the adoring hands of a lover, the satin moving to rub against her each time she moved her torso. She couldn't help but moan at the feeling of something nice on her body.

Stevey was waiting anxiously for his sister to return from the bathroom, tapping his foot with arms crossed over his chest and staring at Lissa. He was waiting for her to move, to be by his twins side but the blonde princess wouldn't allow him to. To be honest with himself, he felt a little hollow without looking at Rose, like a hand was reaching into his chest and squeezing the living hell out of his heart. It seemed to dull when around his Hathaway sister but there was this other feeling that something wasn't right even when she was there; like there were more blank spots where the missing puzzle pieces go.

He shook his head, finding the thought ridiculous. Sure their mother would have told them if there was something else to their lives, but she did keep his twin a secret for the seventeen years of his life.

Just as he was about to open his mouth to ask Lissa to politely move out of the way the cell phone in his pocket went off, loudly ringing _All Time Low's_ 'Get Down On Your Knees And Tell Me You Love Me' into the silent room. It was the ring tone used for messages.

_Yo, Steve, need you to cover for me at the club. Kinda got into a fight and am spending the night in jail._

He rolled his eyes. There was only one person who would send that; Jason. The bastard was always getting into fights and it wasn't uncommon for Stevey to pick up his nights.

_Sorry J, not coming in for a while. Thinking 'bout quittin'. Ask Don or Al, Toby is already taking over my next few shifts._

A minute later he got a reply, consisting of a whole bunch of swearing before finally getting to a message.

_Why, dude? You can't be quitting on us. We've got to protect people from the big evil, not be out screwing every chick ya see._

Stevey's teeth gnashed together while he tried to reel in his temper, feeling pin pricks of fire heating up his veins. He never had a good temper, better than some people he knew but he never liked others teasing him on his playboy ways.

_Says the bastard in jail. Besides, I'm heading back to an Academy. Still be protecting people from the big evil, maybe even a little better. _

_Man, we're gonna miss ya. No telling which one of us might end up as a chew toy without you there. _

Stevey, though he was the youngest of all bouncers at the Fireflies Night, had saved each of his co-workers at least once from becoming Strigoi chow.

_Yeah, yeah. Tell Rick I'll need to talk to him about this before any of ya bludgers go stealing my pay check. If I find one cent missing I'll be ripping all your heads off as payment. _

He could almost hear Jason's cocky laugh in his ears.

_Alright, I'll tell the others. But won't you need the fix, no matter what?_

He had completely forgotten about the fix. If he never got it every three months, well the side effects of it were dire.

_I'll find a way. _

Stevey got no reply as the bathroom door opened to reveal Rose. She looked stunning, that didn't surprise him, but what she wore was not something he wants other men to see his sister in. He had to bite his lip to not yell at her, saying something like; go put something else on, you are not leaving this room like that.

"Don't you dare say anything," she threatened as she walked past his ridged body.

"I wasn't gonna say anything, 'cept you look beautiful," not the whole truth but not a lie either. One thing about Stevey was that he hated lying, felt like someone had set a lead ball on his tongue each time he did.

This seemed to save his arse though for she smiled and headed to the door before being stopped by Lissa.

"Where do you think you're going? Get your butt here this instant and tell us what exactly happened to you, and you can't leave with those shoes," she pointed down to the tattered sneakers Rose had on.

"Good point, about the shoes I mean." Nonetheless Rose made her way over to where Dimitri sat, crossing her now bare feet while resting her head against the Guardian's shoulder. He smiled softly, slowly moving to hook his arm around her waist and pulled her in a little closer.

Those watching who had known the two before this strange pairing internally shook their heads, not sure if they could ever get use to seeing them together.

"Where should I start?"

"The beginning. The day after you were turned," Lissa added, seeing Dimitri's eyes glaze over in pain from having the haunting memories replaying in his mind.

"Uh... That might be longer then you all think..."

**Me: Stevey, why can't you leave me alone?**

**Stevey: *smirks* Because you're fun to annoy.**

**Me: *glares* You can be a real pain in my ass sometimes.**

**Stevey: You love me for it.**

**Me: Anyway, I'd like to thank everyone for their wonderful reviews of last chapter and would like to say that Brooke.S is this chapter's favourite reviewer! **

**Stevey: I'm sure I would go for you too Brooke, darling. *winks***

**Me: *groans* Just say this chapter's question.**

**Stevey: What are your three current addictions?**

**Me: The question has really nothing to do with VA but a little something to do with this fanfiction. You see, my current three addictions are; Black Veil Brides, All Time Low and flash backs. **

**Stevey: *whispers* Just a warning, the next chapter is one giant flash back.**

**Me: … Thanks Stevey.**

**Stevey: You're welcome. Mine are; Ladies, ladies and-**

**Me: Let me guess, ladies?**

**Stevey: … No. Puppies!**

**Me: … You are a very strange man.**


	17. Chapter 17: Flashback Part 1

**Stevey: By the way, I won the little Dimitri verses Me bet. **

**Me: What bet?**

**Stevey: *shrugs* I still won.**

**Me: *sighs* You are still weird.**

_Last time on_

_I'll Love You For Eternity:_

_"Uh... That might be longer then you all think..."_

**Back to a Rose POV**

"Uh... That might be longer then you think..." was all I said while they gave me expectant looks. Each pair of eyes that were set on me were bright with wonder at the story they wanted to hear; only this 'story' just so happens to be my life and some of it pains me to even recall it.

For them though, my friends that were closer than my own family, I would push aside my discomfort and pain to tell them what they obviously wanted to know.

"Please, Rose? I just want to know what you went through, to see if I can help you." Lissa spoke softly, a sweet and genuine half smile tilting up the corner of her mouth. Through the bond I could feel that she meant it.

But I am far from being helped...

I let out a sigh, looking down at my interlocked fingers while they rested on my crossed legs. "Fine, I'll tell you. But whatever I say in this room, stays in this room. Not even Adrian is allowed to know, unless someone invites him in, in the next four seconds." No one made a move to contact him, leaving me to let out another sigh. "Okay, well I'm betting you were told how I was turned, right?" They all nodded, including Stevey but I had told him. "After I had killed that Strigoi, whose name I later found out was Nathan, I ran..."

_*Flash back music*_

_I couldn't bare to look at them any longer, I had to run away from them... my family. I knew what I was, that I could very well kill them if I went close to them, maybe burn like that blonde just did._

_One thing was for certain though; I was furious._

_These Strigoi dared to hurt my family, my friends, those I have sworn to protect before turning me into the very thing I despise, was trained to kill. They had another thing coming._

_The flames of my fury licked delightfully up my back, spreading like hands over my shoulders and drawing me closer to where the others lay in wait. I didn't know how I knew, I just did. Somehow some sort of instinct was tell me to kill them, that there were more hidden in the back of the vast expanse of caves lining the forests that surrounds St. Vladimir's._

_Faster than I thought was possible I was closer to them, faintly hearing the sounds of their laughter and hisses, groans and grunts, the slurping of liquid and the slicing of skin. This fuelled my anger even more, knowing that I know someone down there who could very well end up dead._

_Soon I was even closer, stopping to lean up against the wall to the entrance of the closed off cave used as, from what I can see, a feeding room. There four teachers huddled together in the middle, three Moroi and a Dhampir, enclosed by six remaining Strigoi while one Dhampir, a guardian, was tossed onto the floor brokenly. From how far I was that Dhampir was one of the schools Guardians; Yuri. I quiet liked him to be honest and broke my already splintering heart to see such a good man dead._

"_C'mon teachies, you should know by now that you can't escape us. We out power, outnumber you. Just give us your neck freely," the speaker had blonde hair, gleaming in a low light and highlighted by blood clotting in it._

_I took a step forward, the teachers whimpering from the slight sound my steps made. The Strigoi all turned around to see me, tensing before relaxing when they realised that one of them must have turned me._

"_Well, legendary Rosemarie Hathaway, risen to the ranks of the Strigoi. I'm surprised you haven't gone for their throats already Blood Mongrel." The other five listening sneered at his tone while speaking to me._

_My arms crossed over my chest, gracefully and sleekly walking to the centre, the closest to the four. The Dhampir teacher pushed in front of the three Moroi who whimpered at sight of me._

"_Rosemarie," she said, sorrow and disgust lacing her words._

"_Guardian Dainton," I nodded to her, smiling softly._

"_What have they done to you?" She didn't need my answer to know already._

"_From what I can get, they tried to awaken me," her brows scrunched together in confusion._

"_Tried?" Soft murmurs were made from the six surrounding us; I leaned in close to her ear, feeling her shutter and stiffen as if I was going to bite her. Instead I dropped my voice so only she could hear me._

"_I'm going to get you out of here, all of you."_

_Without waiting for an answer I turned and punched the closest Strigoi across the jaw, making him fall back from the force and growl._

"_What the fuck do you think you're doing, you little mongrel?" he cursed at me, hand curling around the cheek I had hit. I was slightly pleased to see my fist mark turning red._

_I didn't give him an answer while launching myself at him once more, this time my hands going around his neck and giving a quick twist before he had a chance to struggle. His head came cleanly off his shoulders, bleeding all over his dead body and my clothes._

_Five growls registered to my ears and just as I turned my head to face them, sharp talon like nails punctured the skin of my cheek. Other than a slight wince I didn't show any other reaction that the action had hurt me, though it did hurt like a bitch._

"_Bring it," I taunted launching myself at the female who had caused me to bleed, tackling her into the wall harshly. I gave a small satisfied grin when I heard her head crack against the wall though she didn't go down._

_Her legs bucked up, getting between us, giving a hard kick into my stomach which sent me stumbling back before I rolled from my back to land low to the ground. I had a split second, looking up, before her knee came across the side of my head. When it made contact with my body I reached out, grabbing hold of her leg and swinging her around. As I was about to let her go another body hit into my back, strong but wasn't correct so this Strigoi behind me was either human or Moroi before turning. The hit had the force behind it but not the technique._

_My leg swept out and knocked their feet out from underneath them, causing them to fall on their ass. A third came up at me and using the female Strigoi I threw her at him, causing a loud thunder-like clash to echo around the small room as their two bodies hit with a great force. I had to remind myself not to cringe._

_A fourth charged at me. He was bulky and packed with muscle, so he was a Dhampir before turning. I was growing quiet bored of all this so, with a move that was too easy, my hand went straight through his chest, grabbing his heart and ripping it out. It beat for a moment, pumping blood out of the vessel before stopping completely while in slow motion the now dead Strigoi fell to his knees before falling face down on the dirt floor._

_I didn't have time to recover from the surprising strength I had shown when another launched itself at me. A growl ripped from my mouth, teeth clenched together, bracing myself while my hip hit a rock. I wanted to wince when it dug past my clothes and moved roughly against my skin, causing the soft trickle of crimson to glide down my leg. A groan wretched its way past my lips, not from the pain of getting cut into though, from not being the one to curl the bead of red on my tongue._

_A snap of bone cracking under pressure broke me from my thoughts, the fist of the Strigoi on top of me repeatedly hitting against my cheek. I kept calm however, not so much as flinching when I really wanted to kill this bitch, making my body become still. Her mind registered me as knocked out and as she turned to get off my hand snatched out to grab her ankle. My hand curled around her bony ankle and tugged, causing her to topple over, falling flat on her face. Like she did to me, I was on top of her with my fist breaking into her jaw. Her body bucked wildly as she tried to throw me off but my grip was somehow stronger than hers and held._

_My hand lowered to her neck, hearing a satisfying crack while her head hung at an unnatural angle, her erratically beating heart slowly stopping as the undead life seeped away from her._

_A soft whimpering broke out from behind me, head whipping around to face the reason behind the noise. One of the Moroi teachers was being boxed into a corner, herded away from Guardian Dainton and the other two, a Strigoi pushing her further into the cave's walls. The other two were trying to kill Dainton, making her launch at one before dodging the other._

_My eyes locked it Dainton's for a moment, just to tell her to protect those -and herself by default -while I rescue the lone Moroi. She seemed to get the message and nodded, swiping her fist out to ward off one of the Strigoi that had gotten close to her._

_In a single second I was at the corner, standing beside the monster. I tapped his shoulder, making him look at me while I smiled pleasantly._

"_Hi there," my fist shot out to connect with his nose, flinging him into the wall. He grunted from the force, on his feet a second later with a menacing smirk on his face that would scare any normal person._

_Well, I'm not normal now am I?_

_His hands were on my shoulders, pushing me back into a roll, feeling the jabbing of the rocks and stray shards of glass digging past my clothes and slicing the skin on my back. This time I did wince from the pain but I tried not to let it faze me. We rolled around for a while, trying to get the upper hand on each other before a small scream rang in my ears. Something bad had just happened but I couldn't let it distract me even in the slightest, it could mean me becoming like Yuri or the other three Strigoi who were all dead on the floor._

_A tingle in my gums made me groan, just as a swift punch made contact against my stomach. If I was standing up it would have brought me to my knees, clutching my winded stomach, or it could have been much worse and I ended up coughing up some important internal organs. And I'd rather like to have my internal organs, you know... internal._

_Another one of those satisfying smirks spread across his face, right before I ripped off his jaw. If it weren't for how close I was to him I would have laughed at the ridiculous look of his face. Blood streamed down like a heavy rain fall, covering the gaping hole I just made along with his throat and shirt. I felt flecks of his putrid blood splatter against my face, a little landing on my closed but smiling lips._

_A rich smell teased my nose, something like honey and sugar with an underlying touch of rust. Now, I'm pretty sure rust wouldn't smell under normal circumstances but for some reason I could smell rust, or maybe it was metallic. One could never be as sure. Anyway, it was a smell that made me hungry so much that my eyes moved around the confined semi-dark cave room, hoping someone had some sort of food on them. None did though so I forced the jaw-less body from atop of me, rocking back on my heels and pouncing at one of the remaining two Strigoi that tried to jump Guardian Dainton._

_You could see his eyes widen when our bodies barrelled together on the floor. His teeth snapped together in an attempt to bite me, only just grazing against my cheek but with enough power to draw blood. The sight and scent must have sent him in a frenzy because the next thing I know I'm pinned under him with his filthy tongue lapping at the scratch he had made while purring like a tamed kitten._

"_So...good," he said between licks, drinking like a man dying from thirst. I was frozen underneath him, afraid to move and remind him that I could kill him if I really wanted to. To be honest I don't think I could have moved, not with him pinning me to the floor and me in total shock._

_My right eye twitched each time his tongue moved across my cheek, hands balling into a tight fist ready to strike out and hit him..._

_Except that by the time I found it in me to move he was already screaming on the floor. Something dark was crawling up the veins in his face, wafts of shining silver smoke floating into the dark light while they climbed higher and higher through the strands of spider web veins. His hands reached his face, scratching at the black tendrils, trying to stop the pain he showed by screams of terror and agony. It didn't seem to be working before the coughing started. They were blood curdling, coughing up a lung, deep coughs and for a moment I thought a lung would actually appear besides me. With each new cough a speck of blood would appear, turning into splatter before overflowing and spilling onto the ground. The red bled out of his eyes, skin becoming the palest white that could only mean one was dead, collapsing onto the floor. His chest made no movements, stilling completely. The only remnants that he was even semi-alive before was the twitching of his legs and hands._

_For a few milliseconds I allowed myself to be shocked, when that was over I rocked onto the balls of my feet to see the surviving Strigoi with his head between Guardian Dainton's shoulder and neck. Rage built up in my chest, clouding my vision with crimson, giving my body a rush of adrenaline. Within a blink of my eyes I was giving a kick into his side, sending him flying into the wall._

_A feral, animalistic growl tore free from my lips, long fangs sliding out to add a terrifying hiss at the end. A strange feeling of my eyes filling with more colour came over me, the blood draining out from my skin and pure strength filing my body, my sight becoming sharper as if someone had removed cellophane from around my eyes. He was at his feet when I came at him once more, gripping his throat that would have killed a normal person, this just made him choke, nails digging through the plaint skin and pinning him to the wall._

_He hissed, saliva gleaming off the ivory spikes protruding from his lips, with hate and pain a beacon in his bloody eyes._

"_You'll pay for this you traitorous bitch," his words had little to no effect on my mind since it was already in kill-this-evil-son-of-a-bitch mode._

_A smirk came across my face. "Oh yeah? You and whose army?" I didn't give him a chance to reply. My wrist flicked as if I was swatting away a fly, a clean and loud sounding cracking sound echoed through the now silent room, his head falling to the floor._

_My breath was small shallow pants, a quick paced inhale, exhale. God, my heart was thudding against my chest, mocking the heart of a hummingbird's, my bones turning to jelly behind the muscle protecting it. My mind felt like a dark abyss, full of revengeful hate and unwelcome whispers of heinous acts some inner most part of me wanted to perform._

_But, like a switch of a light-bulb, it all disappeared. That black haze that covered my mind for a spare second had lifted, now making way to a clearer thought process. I have to think rational right now, there are four others here who I promised I would get out._

_I turned my head to where they were standing, looking at me with wide eyes. Instead of being gentle with them I snapped orders._

"_Come on, get up. We have to get your guys moving if you want to make it out alive."_

"_Rose," Ms Moxon said in a whisper soft voice. "Why are you doing this?" Shock had settled in her voice._

_I was silent for a moment before looking at the ground. "I'm doing this because I don't want you to be fated to something you don't want..." for a brief moment my eyes shut before I looked back up at them. "I'm not coming back to St. Vladimir's, and I'm sure you can tell why. I'm not sure how long I'll be like this and not a monster so I need all your help to try and keep you safe. The sun's out so as soon as we pass the main entrance I want you to all run and not to look back, can you do that?"_

_All four sets of eyes glazed over slightly, something snaring them in a thrall before they all nodded and got to their feet._

"_Just wait here for now but be alert. I'm going to scope out the place quickly before we get going." They nodded once more as I set off. Quickly I searched every place I could see, my eye sight improving was a good thing I think, seeing no trace of any surviving Strigoi. I returned back to see the Moroi and Dhampir in the exact same spot I left them in._

"_Let's get going, none are here but I just want to make sure you're not just walking around with a blind guide."_

_We stalked our way to the entrance, the same one where only moments ago I was turned. Well, maybe not turned but it definitely changed my life... I just couldn't tell if it was for the best or worst. Right now I'm pretty sure it was for the worst. The pool of blackening blood the only evidence of what had happened to me, if you didn't count the large amount of blood covering my neck._

_A soft growling rang out behind me and I pushed them into the light of day, careful not to let the rays of pure gold touch my latte skin._

"_Get out of here and don't come back." I looked into their eyes, seeing that glaze appear back on their eyes. "Forget what had happened here. If they ask, say you all bar Yuri made it out alive when they were moving you to their new hideout. Don't tell anyone about me, please."_

_They all nodded before turning around and running far out, hopefully back up to the schools wards but I never got to see how far they went before I was pulled back further into the caves._

_The hand holding onto my shoulder tightened to the point I could almost feel it popping out of place. My newly sharpened teeth bit into my lip, cutting the skin, letting my own blood spill onto my tongue._

"_You little bitch," he spoke softly, testing out each word like he was saying it for the first time. "How dare you let out meals escape? Little disobeying whores like yourself must be punished." His fist crashed into my temple, hitting the right spot to make little black dots dance over my vision._

_As my mind faded slowly, the black veil slowly gathering into the centre of my vision, I caught sight of another behind the one holding onto me. His smile was large and welcoming, rather strange if you ask me but it made me want to smile back and enjoy the unconsciousness that was inevitably sneaking upon me._

_The last thought that came across the fore front of my mind was; at least they escaped. This smile I did smile. I had saved four others when I was doomed for a life of death and evil. At least they weren't dead._

**Me: Hey guys, hope you didn't miss me that much.**

**Stevey: You're starting to sound like me now.**

**Me: *glares* Shut it.**

**Stevey: But I thought-**

**Me: Ssh. Now, favourite reviewer for last chapter is... BlackRosesNeverDies666! The question is;**

**Who do you want to see more of in this fanfiction?**

**I personally want to see more of Alard, he's quickly becoming one of my favourites even though he hasn't been in it a lot. I have such great ideas for his character.**

**Stevey: I want more of me.**

**Me: We all know you do Stevey.**

**Stevey: And a little heads up... the next few chapters will also be flashbacks due to the month Becca has to add into it, and it's really hard to fit one month into a single chapter. Don't forget to review for me, darlings. I'll be waiting your secret love messages.**


	18. Chapter 18: Flashback Part 2

**Me: Such lovely people, reading even though this is just a continuation of the previous chapter.**

**Stevey: They read because of me.**

**Me: You won't be in the flashbacks for a while, maybe the last one...**

**Stevey: … Thanks.**

_Last time on_

_I'll Love You For Eternity:_

'_At least they weren't dead.'_

_*Flashback continued*_

_Slowly my eyes fluttered back open, taking in my surroundings almost immediately. A bed was to my right, blood staining dull grey sheets with the outline of a body, a door made of steel connecting the bland white walls to the end of the beds and gave us a good view in case someone tried to come in unannounced. Nothing else was in the room other than two small trunks obviously containing any sort of clothing one could scavenge for. Two pairs of black converses was on the floor by the empty bed, lined up neatly and were clean as if brand new._

"_Sleepy beauty is finally awake," a voice startled me out of my analyzing. By the closed door was a body I hadn't realised was there; rather dark skin, black hair and red ringed olive green eyes. The whole look contrasted with the Strigoi stereotype. _

_I tried to get myself back up to my feet, only managing to fall back onto the bed dizzily. My legs shook from under me._

"_What did you do to me?" _

"_Nothing," he smirked cockily. "You're simply weak from not feeding early enough. We're heading out right now." His tone made me believe he was used to getting his way._

"_Fuck no," I hiss out at him while trying -and succeeding this time- to get up from the bed. The world spun for a few moments, the floor feeling like it was slipping out from under me. I stood strong however, staying on my feet without even swaying. _

"_You'll need it Rosie, you'll see." Then he left, dramatically I must add._

_I was left standing by myself in the room, dazedly looking where he had just been until a click and slide of a lock going into place snapped me out of it. I blinked a few times before sitting back onto the bed, head falling into my hands while they rested on my knees. I was in a compound, a Strigoi compound, that I was one hundred per cent sure on. There were probably hundreds surrounding me and who knew how old they all were, this was like Hell on Earth for a Dhampir trained to be a Guardian._

You're not a normal Dhampir anymore Rose, deal with it. Use you're training to protect you and the new instinct to blend in. You don't need them to get suspicious of you just yet.

_I had no idea where that little voice in my head had come from but I felt oddly safe with it in there, a little comfy. It was right however, I shouldn't attract attention to myself in any way for the time being, until I busted myself out of here._

_I decided to sleep, thinking that I couldn't though I was happily surprised when I found out that I could. I swear, not even four minutes passed before that bolt slid across the door once more. Almost dramatically the door creaked open to reveal a young twenty-something looking man. For the moment his back was turned towards me causing me to only see his back. He was actually well built, to my surprise, with almost glittering white skin and the palest blonde hair that you could easily assume was dyed. His clothing was simple too, just a white t-shirt and blue denim jeans and converses. I would have thought he would have been a normal young man... if it weren't for the fact that when he turned around he had red rings around his pupils. Although, compared to some others I had met it seemed like his were less... frightening. Those same eyes were crystal ice blue, much like Christian's, and I felt like I was going to drown if I looked into them for too long._

"_You must be Rosemarie Hathaway! Such a pleasure to finally meet you in person," the smile on his face was surprisingly... genuine. _

"_Who are you?"_

_He chuckled, the smile causing the sides of his eyes to wrinkle. "I should have introduced myself in the first place." He swept a small bow while his eyes maintained contact with mine. "My name is Alard but feel free to call me Al."_

"_Well, Alard, you obviously know who I am."_

"_Yes, but I'd rather you say it yourself. It's only polite."_

_I scoffed. "A Strigoi going about being polite? Have I gotten teleported to some alternate universe where Strigoi actually want to be nice?" _

_He chuckled once more. "Wily, you are Miss Hathaway, and amusing. This has just gotten a lot more interesting around here. But, I'd still like to hear an introduction from you, dear."_

_I decided to humour him. "Well, mister Alard, I shall be Miss Rosemarie Hathaway." I extended my hand towards him, which he gently held with a laugh._

"_Quiet quaint to be in your presence, Miss Hathaway," he then kissed my knuckles. _

_At this point I couldn't take it anymore and burst out laughing, causing Alard to do the same. _

"_You, Rosemarie," he said when our laughter died down, "are going to bring a little enjoyment to this compound." _

"_Just call me Rose."_

"_Only if you call me Al," he responded almost immediately._

"_Sure, Al." I smiled, the first genuine smile in what felt like years. He smiled back and I found myself... liking when he smiled. Not in a developing feelings sort of way, more in a 'I-Just-Made-A-New-Friend' way, like one does on their first day of school. _

"_So, Rose, I'm hoping you deem me worthy of your trust." He walked over to the spare blood stained bed and sat on its edge, indicating for me to sit opposite him._

"_And why, Al, would you think I'd trust you at all?" I followed his indication and sat in front of him, my elbows propped on my knees._

_He shrugged. "I had a haunch you would, but I want to help you."_

_His words caught my intention, they were strange. I had never heard of a Strigoi wanting to help others, so I decided to study him once more._

_Everything about him, besides his attitude towards me, screamed Strigoi; the red eyes, the deathly pale skin, the large fangs, he probably had the strength and speed and the heightened senses. But that seemed to be where it ended, he was kind and willing to help me, with what I had no idea but he was willing. _

_His ice blue eyes were shining in sincerity, the red almost a translucent eudialyte colour instead of the normal bright crimson. His cheeks had the smallest amount of colour in them, hard to see unless you had advanced eyesight, and looked like pink tinted marble. _

"_Why do you want to help me? And what with?"_

_The smile that seemed permanently on his face was wiped clean, becoming serious. "I want to help you because of who you are. You are supposed to be a great protector Rose, to help your people and family. And with what, well..." a dry smile replaced that total serious look. "It will be explained later in your life, I can't give you all the details. Just know that in time, you'll do even better things." _

_I was silent for a moment, processing everything he had just told me before quirking an eyebrow. "What are you? Some ultimate Zen prophet master?" _

_This made him laugh once more, returning to the person I had first met. "You could say something like that. I've seen so much of the world, Rose. More than most should see. I've seen kingdoms fall, Kings becoming dead and Queens taking over thrones, the creation of everything you see in your life and the luxuries of them. If you don't learn anything in those times then you haven't been paying attention to the world around you, which I find highly ignorant."_

_My eyes blinked for a minute. He could give Dimitri a run for his money with the Zen life lessons, hell if there was such thing as the Zen-lympics Alard would take gold while Dimitri got the silver. But it made me think how old he really was._

"_Al..." I paused, trying to think about the nicest way for me to approach the topic without upsetting him. "Exactly how old are you?" Instead I went straight to the point. They say honesty is key._

_I suspected him to get mad, maybe even hit me, he just laughed though. "I'm older than you'd think Rose. Far older than some of the Strigoi you've previously killed, even older than Isaiah."_

_My mouth floundered open in a silent gasp. "How do you know his name?"_

_His blue eyes rolled, though it was playful. "He was one of the hierarchies. Many people knew his name, along with yours since you did the final blow. He was thinking about running for the American covenant's King."_

King?

_How the hell can Strigoi have a King? They can't even get along without ripping each other's heads off, but having a King? And hierarchies? They were more organized than anyone had previously thought, setting up things like this. What's next, a Strigoi court? I wouldn't blame them if they haven't already got one. _

"_A King? Are you being serious?"_

"_Deadly. Unlike what the Moroi or the Dhampir think, we will actually work together in things other than attacks on high populated places. Twenty years ago we made up the hierarchies, consisting of a King, hardly ever a Queen, along with other ranks from human position's."_

_A Strigoi King. I could hardly believe it. Well, they are definitely much smarter than we gave them credit for though not that smart. Maybe smarter than a snail. But if I actually said that it would offend all snails._

"_Can you tell me anything else?"_

_Alard only nodded and continued to tell me everything I wanted to know; from the ranks to the past. What seemed like ages later he got up and stretched his back._

"_Well, Rose. I suppose I should get going. Some lower class will come by to get you for the first hunt." Gracefully he glided over to the door, unlatching it but stopping short before leaving. "And remember; act like a Strigoi and don't let them get suspicious." Then he actually did leave. I was left by myself on the bed, looking at the spot where he was a few short seconds ago with a smile on my face. He was rather funny for a 'evil creature' that my race was supposed to kill at every chance we could get._

_That put a damper to my slightly happy mood; the thought of me not being a Dhampir was like a pistol's bullet going straight through my heart, sending shards of glassy pain through my body. It sounded and felt wrong, right down to the core of it all. _

_I felt a twinge in my mind, a familiar twinge; something like vulnerability, fear and a dark bout of anger. All too soon I was pulled into Lissa's head. _

_Her normally wide jade eyes were even wider, clear diamonds beading underneath them while some fell like rain drops down her cheeks. She looked horrible, so heart wrenching delicate and fragile yet there was an edge to her. Her eyes, though filled with tears, were glazed in determination and her lips were set into a straight line, perfectly arched blonde eyebrows pulled a little closer together. The only time this expression ever crossed her face was when she really wanted to do something but was trying to figure out what exactly she could do to succeed. _

_That was when I realised her fingers were pinching the bluntest edge of a razor blade and she was dressed only in her underwear. Her head turned down to look down at her fingers, hands shaking only the slightest. _

_Slowly, like the world just decided to torment me at that moment, her hand rises up, a vice-like grip turning her knuckles as pale as sheets. Her other hand was held out over the sink, faint scars from previous cuts seemed to glow under the florescent light, a reminder of what the Darkness could make her do. _

_The sharp knife edge carefully rested against the scared skin, not making any sort of cut or even a faint pressure line. It just rested there. I could hear the thoughts running through her head though._

Rose wouldn't like that I'm going this. But she's not here to condone me for it. She's still out there though, sort of. She's now a... God, I can't even think about her like that, it's not what she's meant to be. Should I still do it though? No, I shouldn't. No matter how much the darkness may want me to, I won't. I have to win against it.

_It was a strong resignation, her normal pure thoughts taking over the dark urges. In my real body I was smiling with pride, but also sadness. She won't need me anymore, not to fight the Darkness anyway. _

_Shakily she put the blade on the sinks edge and for a moment she had to force her eyes shut. I couldn't see what she was doing but I could feel it._

_Her feet took a few steps back until her back tapped against the wall. Her hands spread out against the tiled wall, breathing a little hectic. Her cheek was pressed against the cold ceramic while she tried to steady her hummingbird heart, the rapid beat ringing like drums in her ears. Louder and louder it became until it almost seemed to become from right beside her._

"_Lissa? Lissa, are you in there?" A smooth voice replied from the other end of the door. _

_The voice made her jump from where she was, hastily starting to pull on a pair of jeans while the banging -which she just realised was his fist against the door- started up once more._

"_Just a second," she called out, almost panicked. _

"_Are you okay? You sound a little panicked." _

"_I'm fine," the door handle shook. "No need for you to come in."_

_She wasn't even finished before the door opened up, showing him her semi naked body. Her jeans were resting on her thighs, her panties and bra showing since she hadn't put on a shirt. Tendrils of heat spread up her cheeks while she looked at the floor, a little embarrassed._

"_What's going on?" He asked as if catching her in bed with another. _

"_Nothing Christian. I was just coming out from the shower, what are you doing here?" Slowly her eyes travelled up his body, taking in the way his black jeans hugged his long legs and the shirt fitted his slim frame. Then her jade green connected with his shining ice blue eyes, though they were a bit darker with the emotion they shone, worried and a little bit scared... Not for himself but for Lissa._

You better help her through this Sparkly..._ I thought to myself, wanting to actually scream it out at him._

"_Liss, don't lie to me. You're hair isn't even wet. What were you do-" he cut himself off when his eyes looked over at the sink, seeing the unused razor blade before looking at her wrists, visibly relaxing a little when there were no red lines._

_This seemed to push her to the edge as she let the tears fall like hot brands burning her cheeks. Immediately his arms were around her body, pulling her closer into his natural warmth that was a bit warmer than normal but I was guessing that was due to him being a fire user. He smoothed a hand over her hair, pushing down stray bits that had clung to the electricity in the air while her hands balled into fists in his shirt. Soon Lissa was sobbing into his chest, her whole small frame shaking from the sorrow she carried in her heart._

"_Ssh, my darling. Tell me what's making you act like this," his tone was very soft for a change, as if he was talking to a young child. _

_Stuttering, her words came out like little huffed pants. "I miss her, Chris. I already do and there is nothing I can do to bring her back. She's what she always hated to become, the one thing she ever really feared." _

_Christian's arms tightened around her, his heart beating strongly against her sensitive ear. "She'll be freed one day, Liss. Knowing her she'll be freed sooner than most, she can't stay out of a spotlight." _

_I was half offended with the comment though it did hold a little truth to it. I use to love the spotlight, always doing something to have it shining on me for a moment, but even if I was Strigoi (which I kind of am) I wouldn't be dumb enough to be staked within my first month. Please, I would probably be outsmarting him. But, I had to give him props because what he said seemed to make Lissa stop crying as deeply. The tears still fell but in little rivulets rather than streams. _

"_She'd become one of the eldest Christian. Despite what everyone else thought, Rose was one of the smartest people I know who just craved a little attention from someone after her mother abandoned her. When we ran away we came across a few things, Rose took care of it all and even let me take her blood to live. Rose... she would live to be the eldest and most strongest, even the coldest and most ruthless." _

_For some reason my heart become larger. She believed I could do things even if I was a monster. Instead of listening for his reply I slipped out of her head, finding myself in the exact same position I was in before; on the edge of the cleaner bed, hands holding up my head. _

_I had no idea how long I stayed like that for, only that a long time had passed because the Strigoi I first met in this room came back in. His hair was curled at the tips that exposed more of his neck along with two scratch like scars below his right ear, his red ringed eyes glimmering with undeniable excitement. _

_Mentally I sighed. Guess that means we're going on a hunt. Just as I was getting up from my position he was in front of me, one cold hand cupping my cheek. My body went stiff and rigid, not wanting to move in case he felt like ripping off my head. No way I could come back from that._

"_You're very beautiful, Rose. So innocent with your wide coconut shell eyes but your body is that of a vixen, tempting to take but too sweet to taste," his head leaned closer to my neck, nose grazing the artery there. "I'd bet you're still a virgin. A tease though, showing the guys something they want before you pull away and head to the next one." _

_If only you knew, I thought. _It happened so fast I never got the chance to tell Lissa who I lost it to.

"_That is why, I want you to be with me Rosie, my love. You are so strong, though you are only a Blood Mongrel, and with your beauty you're going to have most of the men here wanting to bow at your feet. If you become my lover then we'd have our own little army to seize control of this compound and set myself up at King."_

_It was same everywhere. Everyone wanted to be something they're not, moving up the ranks to be higher instead of focusing on a job. _

_I shook my head, pushing him back. "No. I'm not going to help you and I'm not going to be your love or lover. My heart belongs to someone already."_

"_Maybe, but right now your body is free to claim," his hand that cupped my cheek slid down my neck, resting on the two bite marks I had no doubt were there. "Do you think you're Moroi lover will take you back now? When you're trying to drink and kill his kind?"_

"_To shame he's not Moroi." I had the satisfaction when his eyes widened._

"_Not Moroi? So, a Dhampir then?" He seemed to find this funny as his hand wrapped around my arm and dragged me to the door. I let him though, not wanting to struggle and cause myself to bleed. _

"_You know, you seem to know my name, I should know yours."_

_He was quiet for a moment. "Anthony, but to you it will soon be, my lover." _

_I bit my tongue to stop myself from making a nasty comment, one that could get me kicked out or possibly killed. I was trying to listen to Alard, no matter if he was trying to pull me into a trap or not, I trusted him for some reason. _

"_Anthony, it has a lovely ring to it, if you add the Hathaway name. Anthony Hathaway, my does that sound..." I leaned in close, tormenting him hopefully. "Hot." _

_Just as I thought, a shiver slithered down his spine. _

"_Darling, don't start something you don't wish to continue."_

_I chuckled. "Oh, baby. I plan to finish you at some point," _finish you dead_. A smirk came across my lips as I thought of all the ways I could kill him now that I could match a creature like him for strength and speed. My, my, what fun I'll have. _

_A growl admitted through the small space of the hallway he pulled me in. After that I ignored him for a while, taking stock of my surroundings._

_Surprisingly each door -twelve in total- was painted a different colour; blue, black, green, red, yellow, and I swear I saw one in silver. Further and further he led me, twisting down one path and onto another. I mean, seriously, how many hallways go they own? I've been told it was a compound so it would probably have a lot but we've passed around... twenty rooms right now. Faintly I wondered if the Guardian's at the school attack had actually made any impact upon the Strigoi numbers and if any of my fellow Dhampir's had been turned into soulless monsters. I stored that question in the farthest part of my mind for now as we made it up to large doors (after passing another four long hallways) with graphic designs. _

_Each design was simple yet highly detailed. Swirls of all sizes covered the wooden doors from floor to roof, some engraved deeply into the dark oak while others had only just skimmed the surface. All in all though, the door was like none I had ever seen and, as I drew closer, there seemed to be a hum of energy around it... like the aura's both Adrian and Lissa spoke frequently about. It seemed to have both a good and bad vibe to it, sweet yet terrifying. I couldn't tell what I was more afraid of... Myself or this door._

_While both Anthony and I walked through the large passageway it felt like a switch was going off in my mind; one minute I wanted to just hurt the Strigoi next to me, the next I wanted to rip his eyes out of his head and make him watch while I burnt his corpse. The worst part of this thought? I wanted to laugh, a brutal and sadistic one that you would normally hear psychopaths make as they kill their next victim, at the vision of the dark red glints in this eyes burning out like a dying flame. _

_Those images never left the further we walked away from it before heading to a gate like structure. It look wrought iron on top with a strong white-turning-grey cement base and more of those engraved swirls. The fence was high to defend from Dhampir, human or Moroi trespassers but low enough for a Strigoi to jump easily over, it seemed well thought out. _

_Who knew the Strigoi were better planned then we originally thought? Certainly not me, and certainly not the rest of the Guardian's or we would have been told about it. _

_A careless mistake on my half, I only just realised nine other half hunched beings standing by a slight jarred iron fence. It hung slightly, not enough for anyone to really notice unless you were either right next to it or had the exceptionally good eyesight of the Strigoi._

_I caught sight of green hair, slick at the front before spiking up in the back. The obvious pale skin of Strigoi was also there, looking like ivory against the darkness of night, while their eyes shone a bright French blue mixed with a blood red. _

"_Jordan," Anthony addressed the one with the green hair. "I suppose you know Rose." Jordan nodded his head, corners of his lips rising into a deathly smirk._

"_How are we going to go about this, Anthony?"_

"_Like we normally do. Head out to the Firefly's Night, search for a few people then head back before dawn rises..." he then turned his head to look at the sky. "From the look of it, dawn might not be that far away. Let's move out." _

_And so we did. I watched as the others leaped over the wall like fence, bending knees and seeming to jump over effortlessly. Anthony nudged me in the direction of the smallest part, whispering a soft 'go on' obviously indicating me to jump over with them._

_I had a feeling this was not a social call to a night club..._

**Me: Yes! Finally finished! **

**Stevey: Took you long enough, and no me!**

**Me: *Rolls eyes* Everyone has read how you and Rose met, twice now.**

**Stevey: *Pouts* But... But…  
Me: Oh shush.**

**Stevey: If you don't add me in, I'll tell the big secret!**

**Me: *Glares* You wouldn't.**

**Stevey: *Smirks* Oh, I would. **

**Me: *Sighs* Fine. You'll come back in next chapter.**

**Stevey: *Smiles* Thank you. But, twenty-five reviews and I'll post a little bit about the secret.**

**Me: But you said-!**

**Stevey: That I wouldn't tell the secret. **

**Me: Bastard.**


	19. Chapter 19: Flashback Part 3

**Me: Oh, looks like we didn't get enough reviews.**

**Stevey: Damn, I was really hoping to give a little of that secret away.**

**Me: *Shrugs* I guess people just don't want to know right now…**

**Stevey: *Smirks* They'll find out soon enough anyway. **

**Me: … Don't you dare tell!**

**Stevey: Hey, I'm YOUR creation. **

**Me: -_- Don't remind me.**

_Last time on_

_I'll Love You For Eternity:_

'_I had a feeling this was not a social call to a night club...'_

_*Flashback continued, again*_

_Well, that was strange. Stephaniel, or Stevey as I'm calling him, acted like he trusted me. He seemed a little jumpy the first night, along with the second, but after the third night he seemed to calm down and accept it. Well, the fact that it was only me visiting and not the others he saw the first night may have helped a little. _

"_Rosie!" He called out, seeing me walk up to the rather long line with the people wanting to get into the Fireflies Night. They groaned and some glared as they saw the bouncer head up towards me and wrap me in a tight gripped hug._

_I chuckled, patting his back a few times before he let me down onto the ground. "Hey Stevey, how's things here? Any new boys I should take a look at tonight?"_

_He smirked, slipping me a piece of paper before replying. "Nah, none of your _tastes, _Rosie." _

_Nodding, I patted his shoulder twice to signal that I understood before he allowed me past the door into the long and winding corridor that lead to three doors. The door closest to the right, a dark maroon colour that matched the interior, lead to a flight of stairs leading up to the actual club where humans and dhampir's mixed freely. The one of the left, coloured black, headed down to the private suites for Moroi or the very high paying Strigoi, though the later was very rare. Then, on the furthest part of the corridor, right at the back was a hidden door that mixed with the colour of the walls. _

_That last door had a lock that only a select few knew the codes to, the staff being only one. The trick to this door is that the passcode always changes so a new code is needed every night, luckily for me I was one of the few that was granted access for my help with keeping this club clean from the blood mongrel Strigoi. _

_Slipping out the paper Stevey had given me, I quickly scanned over it and punched in the six digit code._

787442

_There was a faint bleep sound before a soft hiss as the door pushed back and moved across to the side, revealing already familiar dark purple walls lit was seemingly ancient candles that hung from small torch wall hangings. It led on for a little while before opening into a wide spaced area filled with amusements like a pool table, an Xbox 360 and flat screen TV. _

_There were a few guys crowding around the gaming stations, five in total, including Rick who operated and founded the nightclub. He turned his head to peer over at the mouth of the opening from where his eyes were glued to the Xbox while playing the newest game on the market (something like Diablo III) and gave a tight lipped smile. Another guy, noticing his bosses pause, turned his head before his eyes sparkled in greeting, getting up from his seat and headed over to where I stood._

"_Rosemarie! How lovely ta have ya back for the third night in a row." He stopped in front of me, one hand resting in his pocket of the black jeans he wore while the other ran through his naturally multi-layered hair. His big, baby blue eyes glittered as his fringe fell over to left side of his face, covering a little of his natural tan skin. His voice was low and had a cute southern accent with it, which meant his 'to' sounded like 'ta' and his 'you' like 'ya' along with many other words. _

_He was a nice guy… when he wasn't drunk off his head. _

"_Hello Jason," I greeted in return, waving gently at him. "And yeah, I'm back. Couldn't leave my favourite boys alone to face against the BB by themselves now could I?"_

_Jason rolled his eyes. "No, of course not, ya're Rosemarie Hathaway. Ya'll can't let little ol' boys keep running 'round by themselves." _

_I chuckled, patting his head. "Good boy. You're learning." _

_He smiled. "It's nice to see ya 'gain."_

"_As it is to see you, Jason." He held out his hand, me gripping it in return, leading me further into the space and towards the kitchenette that always seemed fully stocked. _

_In the corner, beside the small waist high fridge, was Toby, a young twenty-something year old guy who was raised on a farm run by Moroi. For a dhampir he had milky skin, very milky actually, with a soft dusting of freckles atop his cheekbones that outlined soft lilac eyes. His hair was longish platinum blonde and seemed to always fall perfectly to give him a baby style cuteness, paired with a heart of gold and manners that could put a 18__th__ century gentlemen to shame, he was always good with the ladies. With that saying though, Toby was rather shy and timid when speaking to someone for the first time, taking a while to warm up to them whether it be male or female. _

_Upon seeing me, his cheeks flushed softly as he gave a little finger wave. "Uh… Hello, Miss Hathaway." His voice matched his personality, softly spoken with a soothing voice that could turn seductive in a second._

_I giggled. "How many times do I have to tell you, Toby? You can call me Rose."_

_He shook his head, some of his hair falling over his face as he shyly smiled. "I'm just being courteous, Miss Hathaway."_

_My eyes rolled playfully. "You make me sound old when you call me that. At the very least call me 'Miss Rose.'"_

_At that he nodded. "That should be fine, Miss Rose."_

_I let go of Jason's hand to take a step towards Toby, pecking his cheek and seeing bright pink dusting over his pale skin, almost disguising the freckles. _

"_Thank you, Toby." He just nodded once more._

_I let out a second giggle as I rifled through one of the five fridges, the one of giant bold letter's saying 'Stevey's Stuff, Fuck Off.' _

_Toby looked over, a little sheepish. "Miss Rose, I don't think Mr Stephaniel would be very happy with you going through his things…"_

_Lifting my head, I sent a smile up to him from over my shoulder. "He's fine with it, Toby. He is the one that gave me the pass to get up tonight."_

_A little uneasily he nodded and I gave him another smile, going right back to rifling through the fridge. There were bottles of drinks ranging from soda to alcohol mixes, a few bags and containers of food along with a needle. I never ask about that needle but I know that I really should, who knows what could be in it, I assume it's something legal since Stevey doesn't strike me as the type of guy who would take illegal drugs._

_Right down the bottle was a single bag filled with red liquid I had from the night before and left here for I knew I'd most likely be back. Quickly I reached up for a cup, bringing it back down to pour some into it, happy to find that the cup was coloured and not clear. As I stood up, I kicked the fridges door shut with my heel and took a sip, careful not to allow my fangs to be seen by the others as they elongated from their small Moroi size. _

_Did I ever say how much I hated my fangs? Did I ever say that it sounds weird when I think about me having fangs? No? Well, now I have. _

_Fangs were a pain for someone who doesn't know how to use them properly. I caught on a lot from the first few hours but it was still weird to feel them grow when I needed to feed._

_I took my time drawing in the blood I had collected the night before, making sure nothing had spilt from the sides to move down my chin. The boys started their conversations once more, all talking about either some girl or the game that was on. Only Toby was not talking about that, instead drinking out of a little white tea cup and smiling at me after every sip._

_Toby was adorable when he smiled, two little dimples would appear at the ends of his lips and his eyes would crinkle slightly each time as if he always found joy no matter where. When finished with the cup he quickly asked to excuse himself, turned around and carefully washed the porcelain in the kitchenette's sink. I had to admit; he was a gentleman and made me miss Dimitri slightly. _

"_So, Rose," Rick said, finally pausing the gaming console to come speak with me. "What do you think is going on tonight? What's your game plan?"_

_After taking another sip, I swiftly flicked my tongue around my lips to make sure no blood was showing. "Well, I'm hoping to take a few BB's with me tonight, like normal. Depending on how many are terrorizing the club."_

_Rick nodded, his dark brown hair falling to cover his brown eyes. "I see."_

"_Ey, Rosemarie, what do ya do with 'em anyway?" Jason asked, tilting his head in wonder._

_Damn, I couldn't tell them the truth… They didn't know about me draining the Strigoi before ripping them apart for the buzzards. Quickly my mind thought up a seemingly better response._

"_Well, you see, they follow me out into the dark and think that they're taking me home to play some nookie while stopping at their 'one night blood bank.' What they don't know is, I've probably already incapacitated the ones in the back seats and just waiting for the right time to take the one driving."_

_It wasn't that far off the truth; I hoped the guys didn't pick up on my slight nervousness._

_Jason nodded his head, accepting it before turning back around and continuing with the game he was playing with earlier. Rick also seemed to accept it, but Toby got this look in his eyes, a flash of something for a split second, that may have indicated at something._

"_Alright, I'll be back soon, going down to check on the guests and make sure none of the BB's are getting at their necks," I waved them off as I started down, passing Stevey as he finished his bouncer shift._

_His hand curled around my arm slightly as he pulled me to a brief stop. "Where are you going, young lady?"_

_I rolled my eyes, smiling gently. "Just going to check on the Strigoi to make sure none are necking anyone."_

_He nodded. "Want me to join you?"_

_I shook my head. "I'm fine, Stevey. I'm a big girl, I'm sure I can handle them," my voice then dropped as I leant towards him. "And with my 'condition' they can't lay a finger on me."_

"_Rosie, as far as we know, you can be defeated by normal Strigoi means and you haven't touched a stake since the attack on the school."_

_A sigh left my lips. "I know, but still, nothing bad has happened."_

"_Yet, Rosie, always a yet."_

_Using little strength, I pulled away from his hold and headed back down the long, winding path to the actual club. The music vibrated the entire room, a high pitched ringing sounding continuously in my ears, the frantic beats of living hearts as they twirled and grind with their partners for the night. Those not wanting to dance were loitering around the bar, ordering drinks by the dozen to drown their sorrows or help score a girl. In the darkest part of the club sat a small group of men, all looking like the walking dead, with shining red eyes. They were obviously my targets, and I headed towards them in hopes that I would gain their attention when I felt a hand curl around my shoulder, dragging me towards the entrance. I struggled, trying to get free from this incredibly strong hold when I was pressed harshly against the wall. _

_Pale, crystal blue eyes bore into mine, a startling familiar face coming into my view, their features hardened as if in anger. _

"_Rosemarie, you have to get out of here right now," his voice, normally soft had a hard edge to it, making me freeze._

"_But… why?"_

"_Because those guys in the back know what you are, to an extent. They know you've been turned Strigoi, they were part of the attack party," he moved in closer, his breath tickling my ears. "They are higher ups in the compound."_

_I blinked, giving them a quick once over. Yeah, I've seen them around the compound. _

"_What do you suppose I do?"_

"_Run, Rosemarie. You should run from them and never come back."_

"_But… Al, I can't abandon the dhampir's here," I reached up, grabbing hold of his ice cold hands. _

_Alard sighed, nodding. "I understand that you're reluctant to leave your new found friends, but they could be in more danger if you stay here while you hunt. Leave, don't come back tonight. A few days should be enough for me to get rid of them."_

_That caught my attention. He was going to get rid of them?_

"_Al, what do you mean you're going to 'get rid of them'?" _

_The red ringing his eyes started to glow, startling me. Alard was a unique Strigoi, one that had the ability to control his temper, his bloodlust, his power, but his eyes would give him away when one of those were ready to break. _

"_I knew them from years ago. They owe me four lives, four dear lives, and that's exactly what I'm going to get from them."_

_Stunned into shock, I nodded my head as his hold loosened from my shoulders. "Okay, Al. I'll leave for the night. Where should I go?"_

_He gave a tight lipped smile. "Go back to the caves, no Strigoi would expect you to be there. Trust me, Rosemarie."_

"_And what if I need to contact you?"_

_In a flash, his had shot into a pocket to pull out a plain piece of white paper, placing it in my hand and curling my fingers around it. "Here's my contact number, don't be afraid to call whenever you need me. You're a kind person, Rosemarie, and didn't deserve what happened to you." He leaned forward, placing a chaste kiss to my forehead. It was… sweet, something I would imagine a father doing to his daughter. "Now go, my friend, and be nimble."_

_I couldn't help a smile. "Jack be nimble, Jack be quick."_

_This time a real smile appeared on his lips. "Hurry over that candle stick."_

_I patted his shoulder, nodded, before disappearing from his sight and back up to the security room to find the boys in almost the exact same positions. _

"_Hey, boys, I'm going to head back early tonight. The Strigoi are still there but I have a… accomplice taking care of them. Don't worry, he's a good guy even though he looks bad. Don't get in his way or else you'll pay for it. See you," without any other words, I rushed down the steps and through the outside door, speeding as fast as my new powers would allow me –and that was damn fast._

_Soon enough, I appeared in front of the cave that held my last dhampir memories. _

_It was damp, meaning rain had fallen in the past couple of days which wasn't a shock to me. As I ventured closer, however, splashes of colour and cursive writing caught my attention. Flowers were placed within the rock formation of the cave, the main flower being roses, each having a small laminated card attached to them._

_Picking one of the cards up, I started to read the writing clearly printed._

Once, I remember running away from Stan, hands were filled with different types of paint as her laughter rang in my ears. It made the whole prank worthwhile, just to see her smile and have fun. It's one of my favourite memories with Rose.

_I blinked, a brief flash of the memory playing within my mind. I was with one of the younger novices, about a year or two younger. We had both suffered detention from Stan and decided to make him pay for it by spray painting his office. I moved over to a set of lilies, picking up the card and reading that one as well._

I've had many memories with Rose, majority of them not too pleasant, but the most memorable was during the incident at Spokane. She wanted to give herself up to save each of us, begging the Strigoi to leave Eddie alone and take her, ordering us to leave so she can try and defeat the two Strigoi by herself. In those days we were captured, I could see why Mason loved her and why many people hero-worship her. She is by far the strongest, bravest person I have ever known. I'm just so upset that I never got to know her more than being her enemy and that I never had a chance to make my mistakes up to her.

_A small red stained tear fell from my eyes while I placed the card back._

"_I'm sorry as well, Mia," I whispered, moving onto another card._

I've been her friend for years, even had a crush on her for a while before learning my best friend also liked her. There are so many things she has done that have brought smiles to people's faces but what I remember was her bursting through the caves with the Guardians , a silver stake in hand and looking like a living flame from Hell itself. Her eyes were set, so very much in concentration, yet you could tell she was after revenge. The trainings with Belikov really helped her and if it wasn't for her, I would have been dead twice. Rose, if by chance that you can read this, thank you. For everything you've done, for everyone you've saved, and for being one of the best friends someone could offer. You've always and will always be my hero.

_Eddie's touched my heart, it really did. I wanted to run up to the school and find him, tell him that I'm sorry, that I'm not worthy of anything like that, that he's mistaken. I was just trying to help but always end up making things worse. _

_As tears started to stream down my cheeks, I picked up two more cards, the final two I would read that night._

I'm sorry for letting this happen to you. I'm sorry for not saying what I wanted to say to you. Rose… Always know that I love you, no matter who or what you are.

_I froze at that because instantly I knew who it was. _

"_Dimitri," his name left my lips like a prayer. He had semi-publically announced his love for me and it brought a smile to my face, even as my sadness was evident through my tears. Quickly, I decided to read the last little note._

Rose. I know I was never a mother towards you, that the amazing staff at St. Vladimir's basically raised you, and I'm sorry for that. There was a time when you never wanted to leave me, and I you, but we had to part; for you to become the best Guardian the world will ever see and so I could make you proud.

I didn't make you proud, did I? No, I never thought so. But you made me proud, every day. You were the rebellious, hell raising, strongest, kindest daughter a mother could ask for and I'm sorry I never told you that.

If I had known your life would be cut this short, I would have allowed your father to meet you earlier. We had planned for you to meet on your eighteenth birthday but it doesn't look like that will happen now. You were amazing, Rose, and I just wished your family could have known you and you them.

_I couldn't believe my eyes. My mother, the hardened Janine Hathaway, was proud of me. Man, what world had I been put in? This had to be a joke, yet deep down I know the words printed were truly from the heart. _

_Carefully, I placed each card back in their correct places before taking a quick sniff of the beautifully crimson rose closest to the entrance before walking through. _

_This cave, the very cave where my dhampir life had ended, will be the official start as my life as a Strihampir. _

_*Flashback has finally ended, rejoice!*_

"So, there you go. A short recap of my time away from here up until I started living in the caves. Every day I would check the new cards and flowers left, reading over each. The strange thing was I never saw one letter from either Lissa or Christian," I gave them a side-long glance.

Lissa blushed, looking down at her lap. "Sorry, Rose. I didn't know which one to leave. We've had so many adventures that I wrote them all down, I just never put one up."

I nodded, understanding her completely. "And what's your excuse, Pyro?"

Christian sighed, running a hand through his slightly longer black hair. "I didn't want to leave anything that you might have thought as being snarky or jerky. So, I would go down and leave a small bouquet of black roses."

A chuckle left my lips. "Black roses? How did you manage those?"

He winked, a playful twinkle in his eyes. "My secret, Rosemarie."

Dimitri's arm snaked around my waist, pulling close to his side. "I'm just happy you're back now, Roza. It was long without you around." Dimitri's words were accompanied with various nods of agreement that brought a small smile to my lips.

"Thanks guys, I missed you all as well."

Just as I got up to give my family a hug, a harsh knock sounded at the door and every head turned in the sounds direction.

**Me: Bloody hell, that took ages.**

**Stevey: You're telling me, Becs. But, it's good for it to be over now, right?**

**Me: *Nods* Yes, yes, it's good to have this big over. And it also means I can get closer to the end of it.**

**Stevey: And more me time!**

**Me: *Smirks* Maybe. I'm kind of liking Alard more than any of my other creations.**

**Stevey: *Pouts* That hurts.**

**Me: Anyway… Sorry it took forever to finish. I had huge amounts of writers block whenever I would try and start writing it once more. But I feel a little more in my groove so I think it would be better now and that I can start updating a little more to make up for lost time.**

**Stevey: Because I know how deprived of me all you wonderful fans are.**

**Me: *Rolls eyes* Shut up, Stevey. I keep telling you, they want Rose and Dimitri, not you.**

**Stevey: Keep telling yourself that.**


	20. Chapter 20: Why Not Rumi?

**Me: It seems so long since I last wrote this!**

**Stevey: Maybe because it was so long ago.**

**Me: It wasn't that long, dimwit. Anyway, just a thank you to everyone who has stayed throughout the story –so far –and I hope everything is up to your expectations.**

**Stevey: Let's get this show on the road then.**

**Me: Way to ruin a slightly touching moment.**

**Stevey: Just doing my job.**

_Last time on_

_I'll Love You For Eternity:_

'_Just as I got up to give my family a hug, a harsh knock sounded at the door and every head turned in the sounds direction.'_

Everyone's head turned to the direction of the door, watching it curiously, while I had sprang into a crouched position in case it was an attack. A moment later, a second knock sounded but accompanied with a rather familiar voice.

"Little dhampir. I know you are in there, I heard your voice."

My eyes rolled as I got out of the position, strolling over to open the door, greeted with the cockily smiling face of Adrian Ivashkov. His hair was tousled like always, eyes still a brilliant green but he looked older, like he had aged since the last time I saw him. That seemed a little ridiculous but I guess the same thing would happen to me if anything happened to those I loved. Adrian didn't love me, right? No, he expressed his desire to go out with me but he doesn't love me.

"Yes, Ivashkov?" I placed a hand on my hip, popping it out slightly as his eyes widened ever so slightly, gaze wondering along my body, almost like he was seeing a ghost.

"Uh…" he said, ever so intelligently.

I sighed. "Come in, then, dork." I took a step out of the door, allowing him enough room to walk through before shutting the door after him and taking my seat in Dimitri's lap, snuggling close to him.

He moved over to stand against the now closed door, watching the people as they watched him.

"You going to speak, Ivashkov, or just stand there looking like a monkey?" I said, trying to raise my eyebrow to no success.

He cleared his throat, looking around the room at everyone before his green eyes settled on me. "Look, Rose, I'm sorry for walking out on you. It's just… At first I thought I was going crazy, seeing you walk through the door after being gone so long, who wouldn't think they are crazy after seeing someone who was dead walk into the cafeteria?"

I sighed, head resting against Dimitri's shoulder, his arms confining me against him, eyes moving to make contact with his bright green ones. "I don't think that's all, Ivashkov. Be honest with me, completely. Why else?"

A strange haze flashed across his eyes as his hand ran through his hair, looking away and at the wall. "I wanted you to be with me, always have, okay? I don't like the fact that you're with Belikov, even though I know you two are basically perfect for one another."

I think a few people around the room blinked, a little stumped over what he has said. Was that a compliment on my relationship, or a confession that he wanted to destroy what I had. Behind me, I could feel Dimitri growling low beside my ear, could feel the heat in which he was glaring. I wriggled out of his grip, moving to stand in front of Adrian, ignoring the obvious discomfort the room was now put on.

"Hey, guys, can I have a minute alone with him?"

"No," was the immediate protest from Dimitri yet Lissa, along with a few others, convinced him to leave, but not before leaving a few parting words. "Don't do anything funny, Ivashkov, or you'll be answering to me. Royal or not."

You could hear Adrian visibly gulp as the door was shut.

"Adrian," I started softly, grabbing hold of his arm. There wasn't the shocking current that coursed through my body with Dimitri, but there was something there. "Look, Adrian, I do love you. Just not how you want. I know it sounds all cliché, like it's one of the eldest excuses in the book, but it's true. You're a friend, a brother, not what I'd think to be a lover. Maybe in another time, without Dimitri, but this isn't that time. I'm sure you'll find someone."

His eyes had closed halfway through my mini-speech, fangs rather roughly biting into his lower lip, an almost pained expression crossing his face before letting out a sigh. "I suppose being friends is better than nothing."

I smiled, a sudden thought crossing my mind. It would be counted as cheating, technically, but it would show him that there isn't a spark between us, one that could activate at any second. My arms went around his neck, leaning in as if for a hug, which he gladly return, but I kind of had something different in mind. I leaned up, gently pressing my lips to his, his eyes widening in shock and body freezing within a split second. Strangely enough, if not a bit creepy, our eyes kept in contact and there wasn't anything appearing in his eyes. That's what I was hoping on, that nothing would appear, that no emotions would swirl uncontrollably in his eyes. Slowly I pulled back, smiling gently as I spoke softly.

"See? Nothing, huh?"

He nodded, tongue gently tracing his lips before nodding once more. "Yeah. There is nothing. I'm still sorry, though, Rose."

I chuckled, hugging him this time. "It's fine, Adrian. Just stop flirting with me and let Dimitri have his piece of mind."

Adrian nodded, hugging me in return. "So, friends still?"

Another chuckle left my lips while nodding. "Of course. I may not want to date you, Adrian, but I still think you're an amazing friend."

"Good. Don't want to close all connect to you, Rose."

We pulled away, smiling while keeping each other in arm's length before I sighed.

"Okay guys, you can come in."

The door opened, everyone came piling into the room and Dimitri took me back into his arms, growling under his breath and Adrian placed his hands up, a cocky smirk on his face. He didn't seem afraid of Dimitri's protectiveness any longer.

"Hey, there, Cradle Robber. Don't get your panties in a twist, Rose and I are friends now. I'm not going to be hitting on her any more. She's now officially yours."

Dimitri glared, obviously thinking through the words Adrian had said, trying to figure out if there were any loopholes he had left in the sentence. When he was glad that he couldn't find any, he nodded, easing a bit on his hold on me. That didn't seem like a good thing since I enjoyed spending my time in Dimitri's arms so very much.

A throat clearing caught all our attentions in that moment.

"Sorry for breaking up the, nauseatingly, touching scene but Rose, I'm going to speak to mom. Want to join?"

I shook my head, leaning back against Dimitri's chiselled chest, smiling gently. "Nah, you can do that, Stevey. I'll find her at a later date. I just want to relax around those I haven't seen in a while, find out what they've been up to."

He nodded, heading back to the door but not before kissing my cheek. "Alright, then, I'll be back."

I nodded, watching as he closed the door behind himself before turning to everyone. "Let's skip the talking and go straight to me falling asleep. I'm so very tired."

**Stephaniel's POV**

My breath was even as I jogged around the school, looking for someone who would know where the quest housing would be. It took ages until I found a pretty little Moroi girl talking to a few of her friends as they were heading to the Moroi dorms, I think that's what the building in the slight distance was at least.

"Excuse me," I called, slowing down when I reached them, their heads turning in my direction. The Moroi girl I had spotted smiled, flicking her hair over her shoulder.

"You're that new Dhampir, right? The one that was with Rose and her little group?"

I nodded, opening my mouth to speak when she cut me off.

"Why would you want to hang out with her? Her and her little group of outcasts are nothing, can get you nowhere. Why don't you come hang out with us? We can get you everywhere, open you up to different things, get you a respectable charge."

"Thank you for the offer, I might consider it. But, could you possibly tell me where the guest houses are?"

"Oh, sure," she said, turning to point in the other direction, her shoulder brushing against my shoulder. "It's just over there, sugar."

I smiled. "Thanks."

Just as I was about to leave one of her friends spoke up, catching my attention with her cruel words.

"You know, you don't have to hang around Slut-for-many Hathaway to get what you want."

I gritted by teeth, trying to look curious at what she had said. "Slut-for-many Hathaway?"

The girl nodded. "Uh huh. Everyone knows she opens her legs for everyone and that everyone in her group has slept with her more than once, it's why she has those friends. She's a good lay, apparently."

A growl left my chest, blood boiling in rage, my eyes glaring holes through their heads. "Be aware that Rose is my sister. My _twin _sister. Don't 'slut shame' her ever again because I know for a fact that what you just said isn't true. So, no, I won't be joining your group any time soon, or ever. I'm happy staying with my sister and her friends." With those words I stormed off, going in a dead sprint to where the first Moroi had pointed to.

It didn't feel at all long until I was standing in front of the building that looked like the other housing areas. Heading inside, I asked the housing matron for the room Janine Hathaway was residing in, moving up the stairs to the room number in which I was told, knocking twice before hearing her somewhat familiar voice calling out for me to 'hold on.'

The door opened a few moments later, revealing a rather dozy red haired woman who I called mother. She had a rather fluffy looking dark blue nightgown on, hair looking a little like a birds nest while leaning against the door frame.

"Stephaniel," a yawn interrupted her. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to talk to you… about why you kept us a secret from each other."

She sighed, pushing away from the door, allowing me to come inside and shutting it as she moved to the couch, sitting down. I took a spot on the single comforter opposite her.

"Would you rather the long explanation for the short one?"

"I have time for either."

She sighed, picking up a glass of water on the coffee table, taking a sip then returning it to its place on the table. Clearing her throat, she couldn't make eye contact with me.

"After giving birth to you, I raised you with your father. It was tough, since he left frequently for his job and would leave me alone for rather long periods of time on some occasions but I did my best. I think, during those years, I was the happiest I had ever been. I had what I always really wanted; a family that I loved and loved me in return. It wasn't until you were four when I realised I was basically a single mother but that wasn't what made me give my children to the schools to raise –aside from wanting them to grow up as some of the best guardians. What made me go over the edge was when your father came back from a job, a little hop in his step which normally didn't happen when he returned. We left you with a friend for the night as he took me out for dinner, in which he proposed.

I couldn't handle knowing he wanted to marry me yet he was barely around. To be honest, Stephaniel, neither of you would be here if it wasn't for your father convincing me to not get an abortion. But, back to your main question. That night I got in contact with Alberta Petrov, the head of guardians here, and asked if she could take in you. She said only one of you could come here since I had rung up rather late. I chose Rose to go here, and you were actually there when I dropped her off."

No memories came flashing back, no sights I should have seen, no faces, no recollection. This only made me angry.

"Then how come I don't remember any of this? Did you get someone to use compulsion to make me forget?" The words were like venom in my mouth, painful and felt the worse taste ever.

"No. I wanted you to remember, both of you to remember. For some reason, maybe because the of the age you were, the memories left."

"So, we had four years of happiness before you had enough?"

"No, not entirely. I knew you'd have to go to school, and at the time your father and I had arranged for you to attend Rumi Academy together."

"Then why didn't we attend Rumi?"

"Because we were kind of given choice in leaving. Your father's job was getting to personal, royals were threatening him along with local humans. He told us to flee the country, so we did and came to America."

"It doesn't give you an excuse to just ship us to different schools, in different states."

"I know, and I know you could never forgive me for keeping this from you. I'm sorry, Stephaniel."

I sighed, hanging my head within my hands, rubbing at my temples.

She was my mother, who had kept my own sibling from me. It's a big thing in itself, but I couldn't hate her. Damn, I can't hate anyone.

"I forgive you. Just, make sure you tell me something and not surprise me, or Rose."

Her teeth worried her lower lip, eyes casted downwards.

"Is there something I should know?"

A few moments of silence passed, eyes moving from the glass to my face then back again. She let out a sigh, running her callused hands through her messy red hair.

"Yes, there is something I should tell you about."

"Which is what?" I asked when she didn't continue.

"Your father… He's coming."

I blinked before barking a laugh. "Oh God, mom! I didn't need to know about that!"

She rolled her eyes. "Don't act so immature, Stephaniel. Your father is coming to visit."

That sobered me up, looking at her with what I thought was a good imitation of the 'Guardian's Mask.' "How long until he's visiting?"

"In a few days. And he'd like to see both of you once more."

**Me: Well, this one didn't take too long with the update.**

**Stevey: Still too damn long, though.**

**Me: Shut up, bastard.**

**Stevey: Never you twit.**

**Me: *Rolls my eyes* You really don't want to anger me, Stevey. I control what you do, remember?**

**Stevey: Yeah, yeah.**

**Me: Anyway, it's nice to see people not giving up hope on ILYFE and that they're enjoying it still.**

**Stevey: And why not tell them about your influence for this chapter, girl?**

**Me: *Sighs* My inspiration has come back, for one, and I have the next three chapters planned out. **

**Stevey: And the other one?  
Me: A real life friend, who only just finished reading VA, recently found all my fanfictions and has gotten a little peeved about me not updating fast enough for her liking. So, here you go, dear. Now, please all thank her for this update –and the rest to follow. **

**Stevey: *Winks* See you all soon, chickadees. Can't wait for the next time we meet, my sweets.**

**Me: Laying it on a little thick, don't you think, Stevey?**

**Stevey: Shut up, I'm being nice to our female audience.**

**Me: No, you just want to get into their pants or persuade them to see you a the most appealing male in this fanficiton.**

**Stevey: … Yeah, maybe that as well.**

**Me: Told you. I'll see you in the next update, readers!**


	21. 21: First Impressions Make Everything

**Me: And we're back! This time, Stevey isn't here. What a shame. *Smirk* But, instead, I've brought along Alard!**

**Alard: *Grins* Nice to be here with you all.**

**Me: Alard, could you do me a big favour?**

**Alard: Of course, my dear.**

**Me: Would you be so kind to say a disclaimer. I haven't done one in a while.**

**Alard: It would be my pleasure. LetterBeeNations, as she is now called, does not own anything related to the Vampire Academy universe, it all belongs to-**

**Stevey: Fabulous, amazing, drop dead sexy, me!**

**Me: *Growls* Stevey! I told you to get lost!**

**Stevey: *Smirks, winking* Can't leave my fans in the dark, now can I?**

**Alard: *Chuckles* Let's get to the story, shall we?**

_Last time on_

_I'll Love You For Eternity:_

_"In a few days. And he'd like to see both of you once more."_

**Rose**

"Now, Rose, you understand what we want you to do?"

I nodded, hands curled into fists by my side, eyes looking straight at Alberta. I could smell the slight fear in the air, the tension over what was about to happen. They all believed in me, too bad I didn't believe in myself.

"Do you want me to go over it one more time?"

Once more, I nodded. I understood perfectly what they wanted me to do, but I just wanted to make sure they weren't going to make a mistake with this.

"You'll be trapped within the gym with Guardians and a few Novices. They'll do all they can to annoy you, to fight you, to see how far you can go without your… _other side_… appearing. If that side does appear, then you'll have to try and control it. When the time is up, about two hours, you'll be able to come out. If there are any fatal injuries to any of the Dhampir's present then you'll fail. Got that?"

"Yes, Guardian Petrov. I understand fully what you want me to do, but are you sure I should be doing this? What if something bad happens?"

She gave a friendly, almost motherly, smile, placing a hand on my shoulder. "You'll do fine. I know you will, as do many people."

I returned the smile as she turned me around, pushing me into the gym. The lights were all blackened out, the windows bordered up and the door I had just came in from was now locked –and I was pretty sure enforced with something really strong. Due to the Strigoi blood coursing through my veins and improving my eyesight by extreme, I could make out roughly how many people were in that room but couldn't see any features. Suddenly, in a rather blinding flash, the lights turned on and a whistle of wind was coming from my right. My hand reached out, grabbing hold of the metal bar coming at me, pulling it free from the holders grip. With more force than I intended, his body flew back from a single open palm hit and landed within the seating arrangements. Luckily his head was not hit when his body crashed into the building's seats.

I winced slightly before the lights turned off once more. Was this some sort of memory test? Was I supposed to remember formation and anticipate a movement while blinded? Because if that were the case they had to rethink their strategies, I could see almost perfectly in the dark.

Man, this was going to be a long test if they underestimate my abilities.

**Third Person POV**

School had started up normally for the Moroi and the left over Novice's that weren't participating in Rose's little test. Breakfast was served for everyone to enjoy and classes had started. It wasn't until the first break of the school day until something a little un-normal happened.

Stevey sat at the cafeteria table from earlier, waiting for everyone else to gather around and waiting for Rose to come back from her test, when his phone went off with a message from an unknown number.

_Please call this number back as soon as possible with Rosemarie by your side._

He looked at the message, blinking a few times before pocketing his phone back. At that same time, Lissa and Christian had appeared in their seats, hand-in-hand, of course.

"Is something the matter, Stevey?" Lissa questioned, seeing his face.

"Nah, I'm fine. How's classes?"

Christian rolled his eyes. "Why would you want to know about classes?"

"Maybe because I haven't been in one for about two years. You'd be surprised about how much you miss something when you've been away from it."

"What did you do for those two years?" The male Moroi asked, taking a bite from the apple he had obtained.

"Worked. First on construction sites, since my strength was greatly needed, then I worked at _Firefly's Night_ for about a year and a half before coming back here."

At that moment, a rustling of air and a squeal became to everyone's attention before the blurred figure stopped by the table three figures were by.

"Guys! Guess what!" Rose said in excitement, grinning from ear to ear.

"You were allowed to take us shopping?"

"Kirova finally expelled you?"

"You figured out how to apply mascara without opening your mouth like some sort of scared fish?"

Everyone looked over at Stevey with a questioning look as he shrugged.

"What? She asked us to guess. I was only giving my guess."

Rose rolled her eyes. "No. I'm now finally able to do back to classes! And, you as well, Stevey. Alberta passed you on the grounds that 'every Dhampir counts.' How amazing is that!?"

Stephaniel got from his seat, grabbing hold of his sister's hands and jumping in circles. To say that almost everyone was shocked would be spot on. When he finally pulled back from her, he let out a loud 'whoop' while pumping his fist within the air.

"Hell to the yeah! I'm back in school, mother fuckers!"

Lissa glared, green eyes seeming to spark with fire. "Stephaniel! Pardon your mouth, this instance. Swearing in front of ladies is rude. Apologise."

Stevey blinked before sighing, running a hand through his hair. "Sorry, ladies. I hope you all forgive me for the display of rudeness."

A few of the girls giggled, others sighed. All let out a chorus of 'of course we forgive you, Stevey.' This made Rose and Christian fake-gag as the second Hathaway basked in the love he was receiving. Lissa rolled her eyes, going back to enjoying the creamy strawberry yoghurt she had got for the break as Stevey continued to 'woo' his female audience.

"Sit down, Stevey. We don't join back until tomorrow, however. Too bad, though." Rose sighed, sitting down and dragging her brother to the seat beside her.

"Aw," he pouted, crossing his arms over his chest before lifting his head to face Rose. "By the way, just before everyone showed up, I got a message from someone to say that when you were with me, to call them. No idea who it was or what they wanted. Should we call?" He said in all one breath, confusing Rose for a moment before she nodded her head.

Stevey reached within his pocket, fishing out his phone once more before dialling the mysterious number that messaged his phone. The rings chimed once, twice, a third time, a four, before someone finally picked up.

"Stephaniel, Rosemarie. I'm glad you got into contact with me this early. I'll need you two to meet me by the school gates. Nothing big, just someone wanting to see you both. Ten minutes, no delay."

The call disconnected a second later, leaving the group that overheard a little stunned.

"Did she just really talk that quick?"

Stevey and Rose nodded, eyes making contact as they stood from their seats.

"We'll see you guys, later. Oh, and Liss, if you see Dimitri by chance, could you tell him I'll probably not be able to make it to training?"

Lissa nodded, earning a soft smile from Rose, internally wincing when her best friend's toothy smile consisted of sharp Moroi-like fangs.

Rose, arms linked with Stevey, moved from the cafeteria to the hallway where a few students were milling around and socializing with each other. The twins didn't look back as they hurried toward the gates leading into school where Janine was standing with a hand on her hip. The mother was unusually dressed in casual wear; a pair of nice black jeans that slightly clung to her shapely legs, a crisp white button down shirt with black boots. Casual yet nice, it was something Janine liked about her sense of dress. Casual enough to pass for small outings with friends yet business-looking enough to kick some major ass if the time came. Her red hair was in a small messy bun, allowing the displeasure on her face to be shown.

"Glad you two had made it. They should be here in about twenty minutes," she said, eyes now trained on the road ahead, arms crossing over her chest.

"And, who exactly are 'they?' Also, why must we be here?" Rose questioned, letting go of her brother's arm to rest her hands on her defined hips.

"You'll see, Rosemarie. And you two are here by request of the guests. If they wish you two to leave, then you can leave but since they would like you to be present then you shall obey their orders. You do not want to anger the guest, children."

Rose growled under her breath, feeling anger boil in her blood and setting the world with a red hue. Stevey, seeing his sister start to change, wrapped his arms around her to calm her down. It worked as her body relaxed into his hold.

The silence that surrounded the three of them was thick and tense, a little awkward before Janine cleared her throat to catch her children's attention.

"Have you been admitted into the school?"

Rose's eyes were to the side, not daring to look at her mother. "Yes. I passed my test this morning. Alberta granted both of us entry this morning."

Janine nodded. "Good. I wouldn't want either of you to miss out on anything."

"Heaven forbid if you actually staked me," Rose muttered under her breath, so low that not even a Moroi could have heard it with their heightened hearing.

Stevey looked between his sister and mother, feeling as if he was caught between some battle of the two. He didn't move from his spot between them, however, since he was pretty sure they would actually start fighting if he ever did move away. Just as he was about to add his input for a conversational topic, a shiny black limousine pulled up by the gates, passing the guarding posts and heading straight for them. It pulled up a second later, the windows tinted to hinder sight from the outside.

A moment of silence passed between the three standing by the gates, waiting for the people from inside the vehicle to exist. They didn't have to wait long before the right rear passenger door opened.

Out stepped a man; skin the colour of almonds with beautiful onyx hair that only peeked from under a plain black fedora. One of his ears shone with a golden stud, a black goatee on his face along with a scarf. His suit was a simple pinstripe black suit, the whole get up giving an imposing aura around him.

On the left passenger door, a young girl stepped out. She could easily be estimated to be around eighteen with fiery red hair and smooth pale skin. She wasn't very tall; dressed in blue jeans, a black singlet with a light blue chiffon to cover her and black Converses. She seemed to be engaged with a conversation with the man, body was relaxed and her voice seemed calm.

"Who do you think they are?" Rose whispered to her brother who shrugged.

"Some Moroi hot-shot and his spoilt daughter?"

"Seems about right."

"Shut up, the both of you," Janine whispered to them, hearing the conversation and getting annoyed at them.

The man looked over at the girl but froze in his conversation when getting sight of Janine. His eyes seemed to soften, a small smile forming on his lips as he closed the door and moved until he was standing in front of the Guardian woman.

"Janine Hathaway? Is that really you or are my eyes deceiving me?"

Janine looked to the side, face left stoic yet her cheeks were tinged with a faint pink blush. "Yes, Ibrahim. It is really I. It's nice to see you again."

"As it is always nice to see you, sevgilim," the man, identified as Ibrahim, grabbed her hand, brushing his lips against her knuckles.

A cough sounded from the three children, the girl from the car was now standing beside the Hathaway twins.

"Babaciğim, stop. We're on a rather tight schedule." The girl's voice was soft, brown eyes were a light with happiness.

Ibrahim turned to the girl, nodding. "You're right. However, you do not make the rules, therefore get no say."

She sighed, turning to the twins and nodding her head to them. "It's nice to make your acquaintance. My name is Hulya. Hulya Mazur. I'm from Turkey and is Ibrahim's daughter, of sorts."

Rose smiled gently, waving. "Rosemarie Hathaway, daughter of-"

"Daughter of Janine Hathaway, only Novice to receive Molnija marks before getting her Promise mark. Future Guardian of the last Dragomir Princess, Vasilisa, and currently mentored by one Dimitri Belikov. I know who you are, everyone does. You're rather famous." Hulya's smile was large, eyes bright with something akin to star-struck.

"Well, then. I'm Stephaniel Donahugh, ah… Hathaway. Sorry, I'm not use to the new surname just yet. Stephaniel Hathaway, you can call me Stevey. Twin brother to Rose, here."

Hulya nodded. "It's nice to meet you both. I hope that we shall become close."

Ibrahim leant towards Janine as Hulya was speaking to the twins.

"Have you told them about me?"

Janine shook her head, opening her mouth to reply before Ibrahim did it for himself. "Don't worry. They will now."

Hulya noticed Ibrahim shifting, asking the twins to turn to face him.

"Rosemarie, Stephaniel. It's nice to see you both, again. I haven't seen either of you in fourteen years."

Rose and Stevey both looked in confusion. "How would you know us?"

Ibrahim grinned, flashing his fangs. "Easy. We're family."

"Life, uncle or something?" Stevey questioned.

"No. I'm your baba, son."

The twins blinked their eyes, heads tilted to the side before Janine sighed.

"Rosemarie, Stephaniel, this is Ibrahim Mazur. Your father."

**Rose POV **

My eyes bugged out of my head, jaw probably becoming slack. _Did she just say father?_ No way. There is no way this flashy, probably pompous Moroi was my father.

"I-I'm sorry. I think I misheard that."

"What was there to mishear, kiz? I'm you father. Feel free to call me father, dad, daddy, papa or baba."

My eyes closed, pinching my forehead while releasing a huff of air. I could feel him getting on my nerves. The girl, Hulya, wasn't that much better either –I mean, seriously, who is that happy all the time? -but I had a feeling she was hiding something big from everyone. On top of that, I was feeling hungry and running low on things to drink. There was only one Strigoi from the original group and it was going to take more than just that one to fill me up, considering that he hadn't replenished blood and would most likely not get a chance to.

I could feel the air shift around me, eyes opening to see Stevey shifting from side to side, rather nervously. It took a few moments before it clicked, my temper roaring.

"You fucking knew!?" I screamed at him, slapping his arm with some of my heightened strength.

He winced, rubbing at his arm. "Technically, yes. However," he quickly added when he saw I was about to hit him once more. "I only knew he was going to make an appearance, not when or even who he was."

I lowered my hand, poised for a strike, eyes glaring beams through his skin when a hand wrapped around my wrist. My head turned to the wrists owner, snarling like a feral beast as my eyes blazed in anger. The owner of the wrist, which I later remembered to be Hulya, quickly let go to take a step back in shock and fright.

"She's a monster," I heard her voice hiss out, hand slowly reaching down for her shoes. "A monster disguised as a Dhampir. Did you two know about this?"

My mother and Stevey both gave a nod, Janine moving to try and calm down a bewildered Ibrahim while Stevey tried to get me to calm down. The key word being 'tried.' I was filled with rage over this, it would take a while before I was fucking calming down.

"Stevey, you take a step back or I'm going to hurt you," some of my words were extended due to the large fangs now sprouted from my teeth. "Just let me go and calm down myself."

"Rosie, I made a promise to you, the school and myself. I wouldn't allow you to face something by yourself. I'm here for you, so get use to it."

My eyes slitted into a fierce glare. I didn't need anyone to protect me, I was stronger than anything on this planet. If anything, it was them who needed me to protect them.

In less than a second, I had pressed Stevey up against the limousine by his neck, fangs bared and I'm pretty sure my features were turning that of a Strigoi. His face was kept calm, his body slack under my grip and his eyes –so very much like my own –were looking straight at me. From behind I heard a yelp of surprise along with hushed voices.

"Aren't you going to help him?" Ibrahim's voice.

"No. She won't do anything bad to him."

"How can you be sure?

"Because I know Rose."

"How can you have not killed her yet? She's one of _them,_ it's your job to kill them," that was Hulya. Even though her voice was hard, there was a slight tremor to her words, like she was frightened yet trying to put up a front about it.

A shift in air meant that Janine had turned and from her voice, she was not happy. "Hulya. I will not kill my daughter. She is not one of them. You saw her transformation," after this I focused back on Stevey.

"What are you going to do, brother?"

He shook his head as much as he could with my hand on his neck. "Nothing."

A growl left my lips, hand tightening on his throat before releasing him, quickly turning to face my mother. "I'm leaving for a while. No one is allowed to follow me, or else. I'll be back within a few hours. Don't wait up for me."

And I was off, speeding through the gates and heading towards a sanctuary that would kill two birds with one stone –almost literally.

**Stevey**

I sighed while also trying to get breath back within my body, hand reaching up to rub at my throat. Damn, she was freaking strong. A heard feet coming towards me, my eyes looking up to meet those of Hulya –a nice brown, I might add. She held out a slim looking hand, a small worried smile on her lips.

"Are you alright?"

I nodded, taking her hand and allowing her to help me up. "Yeah. I'm fine. Not the worst thing that's ever happened to me."

I reached down, dusting my knees from any dirt that could have stuck to my jeans.

"Stephaniel, are you okay?"

Once more I nodded. "I'm fine, mum. Just a little sore, nothing really. Now, why don't I show you around school, Hulya?"

She looked over at Ibrahim –I mean, my father. He gave a nod of approval.

"Go ahead, Hulya, I need to speak to Janine, anyway." He held out his arm for mum to take it, which she did and was led off towards guest housing.

"Alright then, I'll take you around the school, allow you to meet some really cool people." Without any further words, I walked off, waiting every now and again for her to catch up.

After a while, we fell into a steady walking pace with conversation easily starting up.

"You came from Turkey? That's sweet."

She nodded shyly, looking down. "Not really. It's rather boring, but I guess you would say the same about America."

I chuckled, scratching the back of my neck. "Yeah. I think it's just the fact that we grew up there that makes it boring."

She nodded once more, smiling with a giggle. "Uh huh." She looked around, chewing on her glossed lower lip. "So, what's with all of this?"

I followed her line of sight, trying to remember all that I had been shown since coming here. "That's the main building, administration. Beyond that leads to the cafeteria, which the school should be now. I'll introduce you to Rose and my friends."

She nodded excitedly, grabbing hold of my hand. When our palm met, a flash of something strong hit us, building up until we were captured within it. It swirled like a tornado with sparks from fresh fire, a terrifying yet thrilling thing to see; a fire tornado in other words. The spark flayed at my skin, boiled my blood and made my head become dizzy. Hulya's breaths came in at pants, a sweat breaking out on her skin, her hand shaking in mine. Quickly we pulled back from one another and the feelings from before seemed to stop in that instant. We looked at each other with shocked eyes, my mouth floundering open and closed in disbelief. She cleared her throat.

"M-Maybe we should carry on."

I nodded, quickly walking through to the cafeteria, my mind still reeling over what happened. Actually, what did happen? She grabbed hold of my hand and I felt an escalating heat rise swiftly over my skin. That was all, nothing more, really.

I pushed that thought into the back of my mind, not thinking about it any further, and soon we were in the cafeteria, looking around at all the people currently inside –chatting and hanging out. It seemed very mundane compared to what I had just felt –fuck, I said I was going to leave it behind.

Quickly I spotted a flash of blonde hair beside a mop of black. A smile came across my face, while waving, trying to get their attention. Lissa saw us first and gave us a wave before stopping for a moment, confusion coming over her face. She must have noticed that Rose is not with me.

"Hey, Liss. Christian." I then noticed that Eddie was sitting beside them as well. "Oh, hey Eddie."

He nodded in greeting, mouth full with the apple that was currently in his hands, eyes casting a curious look to Hulya before raising an eyebrow in my direction as if asking 'who's the chick and why is she here?'

"Guys, this is Hulya Mazur, she'll be staying with us for a while."

Lissa's eyes sparkled with interest as she smiled brightly, moving to stand from her seat. "Hello, I'm Lissa Dragomir. Just call me Lissa. This is Christian Ozera."

Hulya nodded, taking a seat beside me. "Yes. I know all about you. Princess Dragomir and Lord Ozera, it is nice to formally make your acquaintance. I've heard rather much about the both of you, most of it is probably not true."

Lissa smiled a little shyly. "Yeah, most aren't true, because some people don't seem to be bothered sharing the truth with others. Lies go a long way."

Hulya nodded in agreement, clasping her hands together on the table, eagerly leaning forward to listen to more of Lissa's words. Maybe she was doing that because she's never been around a spirit user before, since they had this very captivating charisma about them.

"So, Hulya. Stevey said your last name is Mazur," Eddie questioned, now finished with the last mouthful of apple.

"Yeah. I was adopted by babaciğim when I was really little." She seemed to blink for a moment before smiling sheepishly. "I'm sorry, I never caught your name."

Eddie smiled, waving slightly. "Edison Castile. Everyone just calls me Eddie, though. Feel free, as well."

She giggled, looking down to the side, almost like she was flirting with him. "It's nice to make your acquaintance, as well, Eddie."

Christian chose that moment to shoot out of his chair like a porcupine had just spiked his ass. His pale hands slammed against the table, eyes boring straight into Hulya's. "Mazur. You couldn't mean Ibrahim Mazur, could you?"

"Ah, yes. Ibrahim Mazur, he prefers being called Abe, however."

Christian's eyes became wide, falling back into his seat with a groan, hands covering his face. "Oh God."

"Is something the matter, honey?" Liss said, a little worried over her boyfriend.

It took me a moment before his overreaction made sense. Ibrahim Mazur had the reputation of a notorious mobster who dealt with illegal products. A rumour going around was that he dealt out Strigoi fangs to those who wanted an extra bite; sometimes he would have Strigoi venom. I had no idea how true that all was but he did happen to make a lot of people fear him. Well, fear and respect him. I was slightly ashamed that it took me a couple of weeks before figuring out the connection between the names.

Ashamed so much that I slapped my palm to my forehead in stupidity.

"I can't believe I didn't make the connection sooner," I said, slumping backwards in my seat.

Hulya looked down, a faint dusting of blush on her cheeks, eyes shadowed with something sad. When she spoke, her voice was like a whisper. "I'm sorry. He's not like that, really. I understand if you don't want anything to do with me anymore."

She swung her legs from under the table, freeing herself to make an exit before Lissa hurried around, grabbing hold of her arm and quickly pulling her into a hug. It seemed to shock the whole table, Hulya the most.

"Don't worry about it. You'll fit in well with us. We're kind of the outcasts here, anyway. A Princess who's sisters with a reckless Dhampir. Said reckless Dhampir now half Strigoi. The boyfriend of the Princess being labelled for his families past. A bouncer. The only normal person here is Eddie."

For some odd reason, Eddie seemed to find offence in this and explained a "hey!"

"Sorry, Eddie. But it's true. You're the most normal out of all of us."

He huffed, taking another bite of the apple in his hand. Did he happen to get another one because this one looked fuller than before?

Hulya, once getting over the shock, looked to meet Lissa's eyes. "R-Really?"

"Really," Christian called from his seat, smirking his infamous smirk. "I'm sure with a dangerous father like that you'll have a ball around Rose. Speaking of Rose, where the hell is she?" That question was obviously pointed towards myself.

So I just shrugged, hoping to piss him off a little, after all what did he want with my sister? Probably just to annoy her. When I only received silence, I sighed to start my answer.

"She met Abe, secrets got revealed, she got angered so instead of hurting me, she ran off. To where? I have no clue."

Lissa, kind of a mother hen towards anything or anyone to do with Rose, looked over worriedly at me. "Were you hurt too badly?"

My eyes rolled. "No, mother. I'm fine. Neck's a bit sore but I'm fine."

"Neck? Stephaniel Donahugh, exactly what happened."

"She grabbed me by the neck. Nothing I couldn't handle," I tried to wave it off, giving Lissa a look that said 'we will talk later.'

She seemed to accept that for now, but another question probably entered her mind. Probably one that I wouldn't answer, well unless Rose wanted Lissa to know and let's face it; there really isn't a lot that Rose doesn't want Lissa to know.

She turned to me, one white fang worrying into her lower lip. She looked rather nervous, which was kind of funny. I've never seen the Princess worried before, though I'm told she use to worry so much.

"Stevey, why did Rose run away?"

"Well, she didn't really run away, more like she got pissed and ran off to calm down."

"Please just tell me why." Her large jade eyes became impossibly wider, doing some sort of puppy-dog eyes on me.

And they were fucking working.

I let out a sigh, rolling my head and smiling when hearing a satisfying _crack._

"The whole reason Abe Mazur is down here, is because our mother contacted him. He came down because he wanted to. That pissed off Rose."

"Why would it piss off Buffy?" Christian asked. Sometimes it was easy to see that the fire user actually cared for Rose, in a sort of sisterly way.

This time it was I who worried my lower lip. A warm hand placed against my upper arm in comfort –I'm guessing –and I turned my head to see who it was. Hulya. For a moment I was left waiting for that familiar tornado feeling to consume me once more, however it did not. I waiting for a long moment, still nothing. Maybe the first time was just my imagination. Yeah, that had to be it. She also smiled, a charming and well-mannered smile. A kind of smile that Lissa would pull, that royalty and the privileged were taught.

I tried my best to smile in return, it didn't sooth my worried nerves, however.

Lissa wanted an answer and was kind of impatient when wanting it, indicated by her foot tapping at the ground.

"Fine. Don't blame me if Rose gets pissed because you guys know about it before she told you, though," I took a deep breath, steeling my nerves, well trying to. "Ibrahim Mazur, or Abe as people call him, asked if he could come here to see his children."

"I don't see how that would anger Rose, though."

"Because it just so happens that his children share the same genetic material as Janine Hathaway."

Sadly it took a while for the others to get the meaning as to what I had said. A very long while. So long that I could have run the whole perimeter of the school twice before they finally caught on. When they did, they had the modesty to look ashamed.

"Wait, so you're saying that yours and Buffy's father is Abe Mazur."

I nodded, rolling my eyes.

"Holy fucking shit," Christian exclaimed, running a hand through his hair before his forehead made contact with the table.

"Man, Rose is lucky. And you are, as well, Stevey." Eddie commented, sighing while resting his cheek within his palm.

"I wouldn't say 'lucky.' More like… Badass."

At that moment, Lissa quickly waved her hands to get our attention. "Sorry, everyone. But I have to leave. I'm a little late with a meeting with Kirova. She wanted to ask me something about spirit users. I'll be back in time for the next classes," she bent down, eagerly kissing Christian's lips before pulling back and making her leave.

**Lissa **

Something didn't really feel right with this new girl. She comes in with a rather shady Moroi, apparently, with this nice and sweet attitude. Not that being a genially sweet person is a bad thing, just that it was rather strange when you're seen with Ibrahim Mazur. I didn't want to make Hulya feel unwelcomed, though: she did seem pretty friendly with Stevey.

After leaving the cafeteria, I made my way down to guest housing hoping I could catch Guardian Hathaway without Abe Mazur around her. However, that seemed rather unlikely due to the fact that they are both Rose's parents. I tried to hurry as fast as I could without catching peoples attentions, which seemed to be going along fine and soon enough I was standing in front of the door that I was sure would lead to the Guardian's temporary living quarters.

I knocked twice, waiting until hearing a soft yet firm 'come in.'

I opened the door, entering to see that Janine was sitting on her couch by herself, thankfully.

"Princess, what a surprise for you to visit," she got up to stand, bowing in respect.

"Please, Guardian Hathaway, call me Lissa."

"Right, than, Lissa," she seemed a little reluctant in saying it. "What can I do for you?"

"I'd actually like to talk about why Mister Mazur and Hulya are here."

"Princess, to be fair, it is none of your business why Mister Mazur is currently staying at the school."

"However, Guardian Hathaway, it shall be my problem if I so concern it to be. Rose is my sister, basically, and nothing will stop me from protecting her. Not even her mother or alleged father."

She seemed to think about this for a while before letting out a sigh. "Take a seat, then."

So I did, taking one right from the larger couch, crossing my legs over while getting comfortable in the seat. She did the same, except she placed her clasped hands together on her knees.

"What is it that you want to know Princess?"

"I did say you could call me Lissa, Guardian Hathaway. Although, maybe we should get away from that while we speak. I would like to know about Hulya Mazur."

Janine sighed, eyes closing for moment before she spoke. "She was raised by Mister Mazur in Turkey, attending an all-girls academy going by the name of Saint Ita. She has two elder siblings, both of which do not know she exists. She also has two younger siblings, going by the same conditions as her elders, yet she knows about them all. She has no strikes on her, never so much as said a bad word as far as I know. Her middle name is Aga, a Turkish name meaning _sword. _That is all I know on her, Princess. Anything more than you would need to speak with Mister Mazur or Hulya herself."

I nodded my head, a little upset that I didn't get what I was after. I said my thanks before leaving the room, heading towards my own to quickly grab a book I had forgot to grab this morning. Before leaving my room, however, I grabbed a pen and quickly wrote down on a sticky note.

_Research the birth of Rosemarie Hathaway and Stephaniel Donahugh. _

**Me: Alright, end of chapter! Sorry that it's taken so damn long, but for some reason this chapter tries to elude me from being written. I would like to tell you all, however, that the next three chapters are already planned. Just need to write them.**

**Stevey: Next chapter, you get to see my badass side, ladies. *Winks***

**Me: If I allow you to have a badass side. **

**Stevey: You're just being bitchy to your favourite. I can handle it.**

**Me: Who said you were my favourite? Alard is my favourite, just ask everyone. **

**Stevey: Stop lying to yourself! I know that you love me with all your heart.**

**Me: … Anyway. I finally got the **_**Black Veil Brides**_** new album, and that really helped me finish it writing it. Thank you to everyone who reviewed, favourited or followed this story. You guys also helped me get through this slump. Can't promise a new chapter any time soon since I've got a few things to do. However, I have one question for you all. **

_**Why does Lissa want to know about the birth of her best friend and her brother?**_

**The first person to guess right will be told the full story as to why. Minus a few major parts.**

**Stevey: Until then. I'll see all my lovely ladies later, and don't try to miss me too much.**


	22. Kind Of Important AN

**Just thought I'd tell everyone; I'm currently rewriting the first 10 chapters of the story. There won't be any updates until they are finished, and the re-writes won't come up as an update. However, at this current time, the first two chapters have been rewritten and the third is currently in production and should hopefully be up sometime after this. So, check every-so-often for those updates.**

**(To be completely honest, I prefer the rewritten versions because they have more words and are now more to my current style of writing.)**

**Also, if there is anything you think I should check up on (such as grammar, spelling, etc.) please leave me a message/review telling the chapter and the sentence that I should check up on. **

**And just a little message to finish up on; the mini competition for future information is still going on and won't be finished until official chapter 22 is up. **

**Stevey: I guess no one really wants to know what the future may hold for my sister and I.**

**Me: Told you no body cared for you, Stevey.**

**Stevey: No! *Runs away in disbelief.***


End file.
